DAR1100 Daring Comics Roleplaying Game

the super-powered role playing game
Rafael Sant\'Anna Meyer (order #8336537)
Daring Comics Role-Playing Game

Design: Lee F. Szczepanik, III, Lee F. Szczepanik, Jr.
Writing: Tommy Brownell, Lee F. Szczepanik, Jr., Lee F. Szczepanik, III
Editing: Tommy Brownell, Anna Lunsford
Interior Art: Paul Ridgon, Dave Anderson, Nichx
Graphic Design: Dave Anderson
Cover Art: Butch Mapa
Fate is a trademark of Evil Hat Productions, LLC. The Powered by Fate logo is Evil Hat Productions, LLC
and is used with permission. The Fate Core font is Evil Hat Productions, LLC and is used with permission.
The Four Actions icons were designed by Jeremy Keller.
Any reference to characters or events published by Marvel Comics and DC Comics in this book is not intended
as a challenge to any associated trademark or copyright, and is used for references purposes only.
The following is designated as Product Identity, in accordance with Section 1(e) of the Open Gaming License,
Version 1.0a: all character, organization, place names and descriptions, all artwork and images, all rules and
powers text in Chapter 9: Powers except for text previously published under the Fate Core and Fate Toolkit
SRD.
The following text is Open Gaming Content: all material not designated Product Identity.
Daring Comics Role-Playing Game is 2016 Daring Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved. Daring Comics,
Daring Comics Role-Playing Game, Daring Entertainment, and associated logos are trademarks of Daring
Entertainment, LLC
Daring Entertainment can be found on the Internet at: www.daringentertain.com
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Basics
Welcome to Daring Comics!

A Roleplaying Game
What You Need to Play
Players and Gamemaster
The Character Sheet
4 Compelling Aspects
13 Types of Compels
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Retroactive Compels
Compelling with Situation Aspects
Using Aspects For Roleplaying

Invoking for Effect
Removing Or Changing An Aspect
Creating And Discovering
Aspects14
New Aspects In Play
Skills14
Stunts15
Stress15
Consequences15
Refresh15
Rolling the Dice
15
The Ladder
16
Interpreting Results
16
Fate Points
16
Invoking an Aspect
17
Declaring a Story Detail
17
Compels17
Start Playing!
18
Chapter 2:
Aspects And Fate Points
Defining Aspects
Defining Fate Points
Types Of Aspects
19
Secret or Hidden Aspects
31
Creating the Series

Series Level
Dark & Grim

Four Color
Experience Level
Normal Guy in a Super World

New/Young Heroes
Know the Ropes
Been Around the Block
Highly Experienced
Double-Edged21
Say More Than One Thing
22
Clear Phrasing
22
Series Problems and Aspects
Sometimes, Its Better Not to Choose

Let Your Friends Decide
Phase Three: The People

Putting it all Together
Free Invocations
4
The Setting
Phase One: The Broad View
23 Phase Two: The Focused View

23 Chapter 4: Character Creation
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Gritty Realism
31
Urban Protectors
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Super-Heroic31
Earths Mightiest
31
Off The Charts
31
Series Framework
21 The Series Scope
Invoking Aspects
29
Chapter 3: Series Creation
Making A Good Aspect
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Refresh29
Spending Fate Points
30
Earning Fate Points
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The GM and Fate Points
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If You Get Stuck
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What Aspects Do
Importance21
Deciding When to Use Mechanics
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Invoking or Compelling
Another Characters Aspect
The Fate Point Economy
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19 Series Tone
19 Near Realistic
Series Aspects
19
Character Aspects
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Power Set Aspect
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Situation Aspects
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Consequences20
Boosts21
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Step One: Character Name

Step Two: Character Aspects
Required Character Aspects
Contingent Character Aspects
Step Three: Supporting Cast

and Rogues Gallery
Step Four: Skills
Step Five: Spend Hero Points
Step Six: Finishing Up
Stress and Consequences
Youre All Set!
Quick Character Creation
Chapter 5: Complications
Complications vs Aspects
Character Complications
Power Complications
Bringing a Complication into Play
Rejecting a Complication
Example Complications
Vulnerability (Element-X Sickness)

Vulnerability (Element-X Weapon)
Power Loss (Element-X)
Recharge (Solar Absorption)
Device (Out of Ammo)
Weakness (Dehydration)
Final Advice: Building Your Complication
Chapter 6: Super Teams
Step One: Super Team Name

Step Two: Super Team Aspects
39 Turning the Dials

39 Chapter 7: Skills
39 Skill Benchmarks
40 Sample Skill Columns
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Charter48
Friction48
Step Three: Rogues Gallery

Step Four: Team Stunts
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Heroes Assemble
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United We Stand
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Brotherhood49
Iconic49
Media Liaison
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Public Relations Specialist
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Reserve Member
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Signature Fast Ball
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Team Base
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Vengeance50
Ultimate Vengeance
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Step Five: Complications
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Improving Your Super Team
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Corporate Investor
Dark Secret
Media Animosity
Unwanted Attention
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45 skills points
40 skills points
35 skills points
30 skills points
25 skills points
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The Basic Game Actions

54
Accuracy55
Arcanum55
Artificing
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Athletics55
Contacts56
Controlling Skill (Magic/Mental/Power)
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Deceive
57
Empathy
57
Fight58
Investigate58
Knowledge58
Leadership59
Notice59
Physique60
Provoke60
Rapport61
Resources61
Available Funds
61
Stealth62
Technology62
Thief63
Treatment63
Vehicles63
Weapons63
Will64
Chapter 8: Stunts
Basic Stunt Creation
Add a New Action to a Skill

Create a Rules Exception
Add a Bonus to an Action
under Specific Circumstances
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Advanced Stunt Creation
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Stunts as Special Effects

Sample Stunts
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Triggered Effects
Fate Point-Powered Stunts
Stunt Families
Branching Effects
Broad Stunts
Combined Stunts
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Accuracy Stunts
Any Object is a Bullet

Lead Rain
Quick Draw
Ricochet Expert
Superior Marksman
Trick Shot
Arcanum Stunts
Fortune Telling
Hypnotic Voice
Sixth Sense
Powerful Sixth Sense
Artificing Stunts
A Kind of Magic
Master Artificer
Warded Workshop
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Athletics Stunts
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Contacts Stunts
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Controlling Skill Stunts
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Dazing Counter
Fluid Technique
Uncanny Agility
Superhuman Agility
Big Man
Talk the Talk
Big Name
Big Reputation
In the Know
Tapping the Network
Word on the Street
Power stunt Expert
Power stunt Mastery
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Deceive Stunts
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Empathy Stunts
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Actor71
Impersonator71
Master of Disguise
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Counselor72
Emotional Trigger
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Empathic Read
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Lie Detector
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Fight Stunts
Into the Fray

Everywhere at Once
One-Man Army
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Investigate Stunts
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Knowledge Stunts
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Attention to Detail
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Eavesdropper72
Focused Senses
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Specialist73
Dizzying Intellect
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Know It All
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Mad Scientist
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Leadership Stunts
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Notice Stunts
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Physique Stunts
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Provoke Stunts
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Rapport Stunts
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Resources Stunts
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Stealth Stunts
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Center of the Web

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Lead By Example
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Organizational Funding
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Black Book Funding
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Tactician73
Master Tactician
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Body Language Reader
Situational Reflexes
Thought Equals Action
Extraordinary Determination
Face the Pain
Now Youve Made Me Mad
Take the Blow
Tough as Nails
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Armor of Fear
75
Doesnt Shut-Up
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Know the Mental Tricks
75
Intimidating Presence
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Brow Beat!
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Provoke Violence
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Strange Charm
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Unapproachable75
Unnatural Aura
75
Best Foot Forward
75
Demagogue
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Man of Industry
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Popular76
Seducer76
Smooth Over
76
Grease the Wheels
Long Term Investment
Money Is No Object
Money Talks
Savvy Investor
Face in the Crowd
Master of Shadows
Move as One
Ninja Vanish
Slippery Target
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Strike from the Shadows
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Technology Stunts
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Thief Stunts
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Treatment Stunts
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Vehicles Stunts
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Weapons Stunts
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Will Stunts
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Special Stunts
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Master Inventor
Power Tech
No Locks are Safe

Professional Thief
Master Thief
Security Expert
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Doctor77
Field Medic
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Hard to Shake
Pedal to the Metal
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Riposte78
Turnabout78
Weapon Blur
78
Indomitable78
Iron Will
78
Strength From Determination
78
Arsenal78
Backup Weapon
78
Crimefighting Vehicle
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Defensive Fighter
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Defensive Penetration
79
Killing Stroke
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Personal Headquarters
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Work Area
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Aspect Stunts
Chapter 9:Powers
Understanding Powers
Power Levels
Skills and Powers
Power Rolls and Shifts
Special Effects and Limits
The Power Set
The Power Set Aspect
Power Stunts
Stacking Damage and Damage Mitigation
Physical and Mental Damage
Purchasing Powers
Powers List
Absorption (2,4,6)
Adaptation (2)
Adoptive Muscle Memory (2)
Special Effects
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Adrenaline Surge (1)

Affliction (7)
Air Control (2)
Animal Control (4)
Animal Mimicry (2)
Animate (5)
Armory Summoning (4)
Astral Projection (1)
Aura (3)
Blast (1-6)
Boost (2)
Burrowing (2)
Chameleon (2)
Cold Control (2)
Darkness Control (2)
Death Speak (1)
Deflection (2)
Density (2,4,6)
Dimensional Pocket (1)
Dimensional Travel (1)
Drain (2)
Dream Control (1)
Duplication (5)
Earth Control (2)
Electrical Control (1)
Emotion Control (2)
Empower (4)
ESP (1)
Extra Limbs (2)
Extraordinary Intellect (1)
Fire Control (2)
Flight (1-4)
Force Control (3)
Forcefield (1-6)
Friction Control (2)
Gravity Control (2)
Growth (2,4,6,8,10,12)
Hardiness (1-6)
Healing (2)
Hyper-Action (1)
Hyper-Movement (1)
Hyper-Sense (1)
Illusion (3)
Immoveable (2)
Immunity (1,3,5)
Intangible (1)
Interface (1)
Invisibility (2,4,6)
Invulnerability (1-6)
Leaping (1-4)
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Life Support (1)

Light Control (1)
Living Sance (2)
Luck (2)
Magnetic Control (2)
Matter Control (3)
Melee Attack (1-6)
Memory Augmentation (2)
Mental Blast (1-6)
Mental Invulnerability (1-6)
Mind Control (3)
Mind Probe (1)
Mind Switch (5)
Molecular Chameleon (4)
Paralyze (3)
Plant Control (2)
Postcognition (1)
Power Mimicry (5)
Power Nullify (1,3,5)
Single Power Nullification (1)
Type Nullification (3)
Source Nullification (5)
Precognition (1)
Psychic Blades (1-6)
Psychic Forcefield (1-6)
Radiation Control (1)
Regeneration (4)
Self-Destruct (2,4,6)
Sensory Shield (1)
Serial Reincarnation (2)
Shapeshift (5)
Shrinking (2)
Sicken (2)
Sleep (1)
Sorcery (3)
Sound Wave Control (1)
Spatial Control (1)
Spinning (1)
Stretching (3)
Summon (5)
Summon Swarm (4)
Super-Speed (1-4)
Super-Strength (1-6)
Swinging (2)
Telekinesis (1)
Telepathy (1)
Teleportation (1)
Time Control (2)
Time Travel (1)
Two-Dimensional (2)
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Vampirism (2)
Water Control (4)
Weather Control (5)
Special Effects
Advantageous (1)
Area Effect (1)
Charge Object (1)
Concussive (1)
Countering/Nullify Resistance (1)
Dangerous (2)
Deadly (1)
Demolishing (1)
Durable (1)
Encasing (1)
Entangling (1)
Extended Range (1)
Follow-Up (1)
Gaseous (1)
Ghostly (1)
Hard Hitting (1)
Homing (2)
Impervious (1/2)
Indirect (1)
Lethal (3)
Mega-Attack (1/2)
Multi-Targeting (2)
Penetrating (2)
Persistent (3)
Potent (1)
Power Stress (1)
Reinforced (3)
Reroute Power (1)
Set-Up (1)
Tough (2)
Trans-Dimensional (1)
Unnoticeable (1)
Useable on Others (1)
Volley (1)
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Limits124
Always On (1)
Cannot Use Power Stunts (1)
Damaging (1)
Distracting (1)
Fatiguing (1)
Grappling Attack (1)
Longer Activation (1)
Reduced Range (1)
Restricted (1)
Sense Reliant (1)
Unstable (3)
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Building Your Own Powers
Determining Effect Costs

1-Point Effects
2-Point Effect
3-Point Effect
4-Point & 5-Point Effects
Inherent Limitations
Determining the Oppositions Roll to
Break the Power
Write It Up
Building Your Own Special Effects
Add a New Effect to a Power

Increase the Primary Effect in Some Way
Create a secondary effect at
the cost of the primary effect
under Specific Circumstances
Triggered Special Effects
Limited Use Special Effects
Special Effect Families
Building Limits
Chapter 10: Devices and Gear

Gear, Devices, and Stress
Gear vs. Devices
Everyday Stuff & Armaments:
The Crunch Option
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Remote140
Targeting140
Unbreakable140
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Device Limits
140
Sample Devices
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Armor140
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Robots141
Street Vigilante Body Armor

Electrical Armor
Fire Generating Armor
129 Family Assistant
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Cape-Killer Robot
Power Duplicating Android
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Vigilantes Car
Disappearing Jet
Team Aircraft
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Fear Gas
Mind Control Ray
Ice Gun
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Vehicles141
Weapons142
130 Arcane Artifacts

131 Sample Artifacts
131 Ring of Eldritch Shielding

131 Orb of All-Seeing
Cloak of Demonic Hide
131 Arcane Rituals

131 Sample Rituals
Gear Complication
Everyday Items
132
Weapons132
Common Weapon Special Effects
132
Armor133
Common Armor Special Effects
134
Vehicles135
Tentacles of the Darkened Mind

Breath of the Rotting Lord
Servant of the Rending Master
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Headquarters143
Headquarters Aspect
Headquarters Quality
Headquarters Features
Special Storage: Story Factor Devices
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What is a Device?
Devices and Character Creation
Building A Device During Play
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136 Sample Headquarters
Jury Rigging
Buying a Device During Play
Common Device Special Effects
146
137 Mystic Brownstone
138 Mansion146
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139 Orbital Station
Design the Device
136
Artificial Intelligence
139
Aspect139
Auto-Pilot139
Concealable139
Database139
Expert Wiring
139
Independent Attack
139
Power Ability
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Restricted139
Vigilante Base
Trans-Dimensional Ship
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Object Material Strength

Special Considerations
The Gear Heavy Street Vigilante
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Trick Arrows
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Creating the Gear

Gear Complications
Disarming the Gear
Constructing the Quiver
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Using Device Special Effects

Required Complication
Disarming the Archer
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Ending a Conflict
Transitioning to a Contest or Challenge
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Power-Armor Hardiness
Power Armor and Healing Damage
Power Armor and Super-Tough Characters
Power-Armor Complications
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Clearing Collateral Consequences
171
Teamwork169
Utility Belt
149 Collateral Damage
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Power-Armor150 Collateral Consequences
Chapter 11:
Actions And Outcomes
Its Time For Action!
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Opposition152
The Four Outcomes
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Fail153
Tie153
Succeed153
Succeed with Style
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The Four Actions
155
Chapter 12: Comic Book Action
159
Overcome155
Create an Advantage
156
Attack157
Defend157
Zooming In On The Action

Conflicts
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Setting the Scene

159
Tight Zones
162
Dangerous Zone Aspects
162
Mental or Social Zones
162
Establishing Sides
162
Turn Order
162
The Exchange
163
Full Defense
163
Weapon and Armor Ratings
163
Resolving Attacks
163
Stress164
Consequences164
Naming a Consequence
165
What Skill Do I Use For Recovery?
165
Recovering from a Consequence
165
Extreme Consequences
166
Conceding the Conflict
166
Getting Taken Out
167
Character Death
167
Movement167
Advantages in a Conflict
168
Other Actions in a Conflict
168
Free Actions
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Combat Tactics
171
Special Situations
175
Challenges
179
Aiming171
All-Out172
Charge172
Combat Tricks
172
Fast Ball
173
Grapples and Entangles
173
Lifting174
Knockback and Throwing
174
Scenery as Weapons
175
Blind/Deaf175
Breaking Things
176
Cold and Heat
176
Cover176
Crushing Damage
176
Darkness176
Detonating Situation Aspects
177
Disease and Poison
177
Drowning/Suffocation
178
Explosions178
Falling178
Fire178
General Environmental Hazards
178
Gravity178
Starvation, Thirst, and Lack of Sleep
179
Underwater Movement
179
Advantages in a Challenge
Attacks in a Challenge
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Contests180
Creating Advantages in a Contest
181
Attacks in a Contest
182
Speed Rating
Standard Chases
In-Depth Cases
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Chases182
Chapter 13:
Running Daring Comics
What You Do
Start and End Scenes

Play the World and the NPCs
Judge the Use of the Rules
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Create Story Arcs (and Nearly Everything Else)
What To Do During Series Creation

What To Do During Play
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The Golden Rule

186
When to Roll Dice
187
Making Failure Awesome
187
Setting Difficulties
189
Justify Your Choices
189
Dealing with Extraordinary Success
190
Dealing with Time
190
Zoom In, Zoom Out
192
Time Increments
192
Judging the Use of Skills and Stunts
193
Aspects and Details: Discovery vs. Creation
193
Dealing with Aspects
195
Invocations195
Compels195
Creating The Opposition
Playing The Opposition
199
The Fate Fractal
200
Right-sizing200
Creating Advantages for NPCs
200
Change Venues of Conflict
200
Know Your Heroes

Defining Story Arcs
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Set Up The First Scene

Defining Scenes
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The Story Arc In Play

Resolving The Story arc
Using the Rogues Gallery
and Supporting Cast
Putting It All Together
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Starting Scenes
Ending Scenes
Hit Their Aspects
Chapter 15:
Advancing the series
Defining Volumes
Defining Series
196
Building A Volume
196
Building A Series
196
Advancement And Change
196
Defining Milestones
Take Only What You Need to Survive

The NPC Types
Nameless NPCs
Mobs197
Hits and Overflow
197
Nameless NPCs as Obstacles
198
NPC First, Name Later
198
Supporting NPCs
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Main NPCs
199
Chapter 14: Telling Stories

the Comic Book Way
Location, Location, Location

Meanwhile, Back At The
What A Twist!
Minor Milestones
Significant Milestones
Major Milestones
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World Advancement
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Appendix: Turning the Dials
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For Minor Milestones

For Significant Milestones
For Major Milestones
Advancing Collateral Damage Consequences
Dealing with NPCs
Recurring NPCs

Different Series Levels
Different Experience Levels
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203 Chapter 4: Character Creation
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Ask Story Questions

Choosing the Opposition
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206 Chapter 6: Super-Teams
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Plotting the Course
209
Problems and Character Aspects

Problems and Game Aspects
Problems and Aspect Pairs
We Meet Again
New Faces
Forces of Nature
Good Friends, Better Enemies
Organizational Issues
A Sense of Scale
Baiting the Hook
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Origin Story
The Pick-Up Game
Step Three: Supporting Cast
and Rogues Gallery
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The Expanded Super Team

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Required Stunt
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Expanded Team Aspects
233
The Skills
233
Skill Points and Hero Points
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Refresh233
Advancing the Expanded Team
233
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Super Team Adventures

Defining the Adventure
Beginning the Adventure
The Adventure: An Important Point
Running the Adventure
The Conflict Adventure
The Contest Adventure
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Chapter 7: Skills
Chapter 9: Powers
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Chapter 13: Running Daring Comics
244

Animal Mimicry (3)
Blast (1-6), Variant #1
Blast (2), Variant #2
Duplication (3)
Invulnerability (1-6), Variant #1
Invulnerability (2), Variant #2
Melee Attack (1-6), Variant #1
Melee Attack (2), Variant #2
Shapeshift (2)
Super-Strength (1-6), Variant #1
Super-Strength (2, 3, 4), Variant #2
Special Effect Variants
Concussive (1)
Extended Range (1)
Impervious (1/2)
Mega-Attack (1/2)
Penetrating (2)
Limits Variants
Damaging (1)
No Crunch Gear Method
Adjusted Stunts
Check Two Stress
Sidekicks
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
Worksheets
Character Sheet
Series Worksheet
Super Team Sheet
Supporting Cast & Rogues Sheet
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Chapter 1: The Basics

Welcome to Daring Comics! What You Need to Play
Heroes battle villains through the streets and skies.
Debris from stray energy beams and super-tough
bodies covers city blocks. From megalomaniacs who
dream of ruling the world, to dictators who wish to
shape the future course of humanity, only the heroes
stand in their way.
With the Daring Comics Role-Playing Game, you
bring your own comic book stories to life. Inside these
pages, youll find complete rules for constructing
your own, ongoing comic book series, creating your
heroes, and how to resolve all types of actions.
Daring Comics also gives you the rules for creating
your own stunts and powers. To help you get
started easily, however, weve also provided dozens
of example stunts, and over 100 powers, special
effects, and limits.
A Roleplaying Game
If youve never played a roleplaying game before,
heres the basic idea for Daring Comics: you and a
bunch of friends get together to tell an interactive
story about a group of super-heroes you make up.
You get to say what challenges and obstacles those
heroes face, how they respond, what they say and
do, and what happens to them.
Its not all just conversation, though sometimes youll
use dice and the rules in this book to bring uncertainty
into the story and make things more exciting.
Daring Comics doesnt come with a default setting,
its meant to take place in a setting that your group
creates. As a matter of fact, in the Series Creation
chapter, well walk you through the step-by-step
process of how your entire group will cooperate to
not only create parts of the setting, but how to make
specific choices that will determine your series scope,
power level, and even tone.
Getting into a game of Daring Comics is very simple.

You need:
A character sheet, one per player, and
some extra paper for note-taking. Well
talk about whats on the character sheet
below. (GMs, any important characters you
play might have a character sheet also.)
Fate dice, at least four, preferably four per
person. Fate dice are a special kind of sixsided dice that are marked on two sides
with a plus symbol (+), two with a minus
symbol (-), and two sides are blank (0).
Fate dice, at least four, preferably four per
person. Fate dice are a special kind of sixsided dice that are marked on two sides
with a plus symbol (+), two with a minus
symbol (-), and two sides are blank (0).
If you dont want to use fate dice, you dont
have toany set of regular six-sided dice will
work. If youre using regular dice, you read 5
or 6 as +, 1 or 2 as -, and 3 or 4 as 0.
Tokens to represent fate points. Poker chips,
glass beads, or anything similar will work. Youll
want to have at least thirty or more of these
on hand, just to make sure you have enough
for any given game. You can use pencil marks
on your character sheet in lieu of tokens,
but physical tokens add a little more fun.
Index cards. These are optional,
but we find theyre very handy for
recording aspects during play.
Players and Gamemaster

In any game of Daring Comics, youre either a player
or a gamemaster.
If youre a player, your primary job is to take
responsibility for portraying one of the protagonists
of the game, which we call a playe r-character
(and sometimes a character, hero, or PC). You
13
make decisions for your character and describe to

everyone else what your character says and does.
Youll also take care of the mechanical side of
your character rolling dice when its appropriate,
choosing what abilities to use in a certain situation,
and keeping track of fate points.
If youre a gamemaster, your primary job is to take
responsibility for the world the PCs inhabit. You make
decisions and roll dice for every character in the game
world who isnt portrayed by a player we call those
non-player-characters (or NPCs). You describe the
environments and places the PCs go to during the
game, and you create the scenarios and situations
they interact with. You also act as a final arbiter of the
rules, determining the outcome of the PCs decisions
and how that impacts the unfolding story.
Daring Comics RPG is a collaborative endeavor, with
everyone sharing ideas and looking for opportunities
to make the events as entertaining as possible.
The Character Sheet

Players, your character sheet contains everything you
need to know about your PC: aspects, skills, stunts,
powers, and any other resources that character has
to use in the game. Grab a blank character sheet, and
well go over all the components.
Aspects
Aspects are phrases that describe some significant
detail about a character. They are the reasons why
your character matters, why were interested in seeing
your character in the game. Aspects can cover a wide
range of elements, such as personality or descriptive
traits, beliefs, relationships, issues and problems, or
anything else that helps us invest in the character as
a person, rather than just a collection of stats.
Aspects come into play in conjunction with fate points.
When an aspect benefits you, you can spend fate
points to invoke that aspect for a bonus. When your
aspects complicate your characters life, you gain
fate points back, this is called accepting a compel.
Wraith has Once a criminal, Now a Hero on
his character sheet, which likely gives him
some knowledge into the criminal underworld.
It can also bring in some complications to a
scene when someone recognizes him from his
time in the underworld.
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Aspects can describe things that are beneficial or

detrimental. In fact, the best aspects are both.
And aspects dont just belong to characters; the
environment your characters are in can have aspects
attached to it as well.
Barrage and Midnight Avenger have tracked
a known arms dealer to a warehouse in the
Beauman Straights district. As they enter the
warehouse, the GM lets them know that the
interior has Deep, Dark Shadows and Lots
of Abandoned Machinery as aspects on the
environment.
Skills
Skills are what you use during the game to do
complicated or interesting actions with the dice.
Each character has a number of skills that represent
his or her basic capabilities, including things like
perceptiveness, physical prowess, professional
training, education, and other measures of ability.
At the beginning of the game, the player-characters
have skills rated in steps from Average (+1) to
Fantastic (+6). Higher is better, meaning that the
character is more capable or succeeds more often
when using that skill.
If for some reason you need to make a roll using a skill

your character doesnt have, you roll it at Mediocre
(+0).
Midnight Avenger has the Stealth skill at Great
(+4), which makes him suited to sneaking up
on an opponent, or past a guard. He does not
have the Vehicles skill, however, so when the
game calls upon him to drive a car or pilot an
aircraft, hell have to roll that at Mediocre (+0).
Stunts
Stunts are special tricks that your character knows
that allow you to get an extra benefit out of a skill
or alter some other game rule to work in your favor.
Stunts are like special moves in a video game, letting
you do something unique or distinctive compared to
other characters. Two characters can have the same
rating in a skill, but their stunts might give them vastly
different benefits.
Wraith has a stunt called Into the Fray. The
character is at his best when facing a group
of opponents, and whenever his opponents
have a bonus for teamwork against him in a
conflict, he does an extra Shift of damage
when attacking them.
Stress
Stress is one of the two options you have to avoid
losing a conflict, it represents temporary fatigue, getting
winded, superficial injuries, and so on. You have a
number of stress levels you can burn off to help keep
you in a fight. They reset at the end of a conflict, once
youve had a moment to rest and catch your breath.
Consequences
Consequences are the other option you have to
stay in a conflict, but they have a more lasting
impact. Every time you take a consequence, it puts
a new aspect on your sheet describing your injuries.
Unlike stress, you have to take time to recover from
a consequence, and its stuck on your character
sheet in the meantime, which leaves your character
vulnerable to complications or others wishing to take
advantage of your new weakness.
Refresh
Refresh is the number of fate points you get at the start
of every game session to spend for your character.
Your total resets to this number unless you had more
fate points at the end of the last session.
Taking Action
Players, some of the things youll do in a Daring
Comics game require you to roll dice to see if your
character succeeds or not. You will always roll the
dice when youre opposing another character with
your efforts, or when theres a significant obstacle in
the way of your effort. Otherwise, just say what your
character does and assume it happens.
Common Action Types

Below are the most common reasons why
youll roll the dice in the Daring Comics RPG.
Overcome to overcome an obstacle
Create an Advantage to create or unlock an
advantage for your character, in the form of
an aspect you can use
Attack to attack someone in a conflict
Defend to defend yourself in a conflict
Rolling the Dice

When you need to roll dice in Daring Comics RPG,
pick up four fate dice and roll them. When you read
the dice, read every + as +1, every 0 as 0, and
every - as 1. Add them all together. Youll get a
result from 4 to +4, most often between 2 and +2.
Result
% Chance
+4
1.23
+3
4.94
+2
12.35
+1
19.75
+0
23.46
-1
19.75
-2
12.35
-3
4.94
-4
1.23
15
Here are some sample dice totals:

-+0+ = +1
+-00 = +0
+++- = +2
-000 = 1
The result on the dice isnt your final total, however.
If your character has a skill thats appropriate to the
action, you get to add your characters rating in that
skill to whatever you rolled.
The Ladder
Daring Comics uses a ladder of adjectives and
numbers to rate the dice results, a characters skills,
and opposition to an action.
Terrible
(-2)
Poor
(-1)
Mediocre
(+0)
Average
(+1)
Fair
(+2)
Good
(+3)
Great
(+4)
Superb
(+5)
Fantastic
(+6)
Epic
(+7)
Legendary
(+8)
Monstrous
(+9)
Colossal
(+10)
Unearthly
(+11)
Inconceivable (+12)
It doesnt really matter which side of the ladder you
use. Some people remember the words better, some
people remember the numbers better, and some
people like using both. So you could say, I got a
Great, or I got a +4, and it means the same thing.
Interpreting Results
When you roll the dice, youre trying to get a high
enough roll to match or beat your opposition. That
opposition is going to come in one of two forms: active
16
opposition, from someone rolling dice against you,

or passive opposition, from an obstacle that just has
a set rating on the ladder for you to overcome. (GMs,
you can also just decide your NPCs give passive
opposition when you dont want to roll dice for them.)
Generally speaking, if you beat your opposition on
the ladder, you succeed at your action. A tie creates
some effect, but not to the extent your character
was intending. If you win by a lot, something extra
happens (like doing more harm to your opponent in
a fight).
If you dont beat the opposition, either you dont
succeed at your action, you succeed at a cost, or
something else happens to complicate the outcome.
Some game actions have special results when you
fail at the roll.
When you beat a roll or a set obstacle, the difference
between your opposition and your result is what we
call Shifts. When you roll equal to the opposition, you
have zero shifts. Roll one over your opposition, and
you have one shift. Two over means two shifts, and
so on. Later on, well talk about different instances
where getting shifts on a roll benefits you.
Wraith is interrogating a captured underworld
thug, and wants to know not only when a
certain arms shipment is coming it, but on
which dock.
Mike decides this will be an active opposition
Overcome action between the thugs Mediocre
(+0) Will, and Wraiths Fair (+2) Provoke.
Both Mike and Xander pick up the dice and
roll. Mike rolls +--+ for a Mediocre (+0)
result, since he had no skill bonus to add to
the dice.
Xander rolls ++-0 and adds the +1 result
from the dice to his Fair (+2) Provoke skill, for
a grand total of a Good (+3) result.
Xander gets 3-Shifts over Mike, granting him
a success with style (which well discuss in
Chapter 11: Actions and Outcomes).
Fate Points
You use tokens to represent how many fate points
you have at any given time during play. Fate
points are one of your most important resources in
Daring Comics theyre a measure of how much
influence you have to make the story go in your
characters favor.
You can spend fate points to invoke an aspect, to declare

a story detail, or to activate certain powerful stunts.
You earn fate points by accepting a compel on one
of your aspects.
Invoking an Aspect
Whenever youre making a skill roll, and youre in a
situation where an aspect might be able to help you,
you can spend a fate point to invoke it in order to
change the dice result. This allows you to either reroll
the dice or add +2 to your roll, whichever is more
helpful. (Typically, +2 is a good choice if you rolled 2
or higher, but sometimes you want to risk a reroll to
get that +4.) You do this after youve rolled the dice, if
you arent happy with your total.
You also have to explain or justify how the aspect
is helpful in order to get the bonussometimes
itll be self-evident, and sometimes it might require
some creative narrating.
You can spend more than one fate point on a single
roll, gaining another reroll or an additional +2, as long
as each point you spend invokes a different aspect.
Its nighttime, and Midnight Avenger is trying
to sneak past a couple of guards blocking his
way from getting into a high security facility,
where he needs to get evidence from a
corporate mainframe. The guards are giving
him passive opposition of Good (+3) and his
Stealth skill is also Great (+4).
Dylan rolls and gets a +---, which gives
him a Fair (+2) result, which means hes going
to be discovered not a good thing.
Dylan invokes his The Shadows are My
Domain aspect for an additional +2. He
explains that since he is basically a breed of
vampire and is used to hunting at night, hes
adept at using the shadows to his advantage,.
Mike agrees, so Dylan hands over a fate point.
He decides to add a +2 to his roll, raising it to
Great (+4). That gives him a 1-Shift success to
remain undetected by the guards as he makes
his way across the corporate grounds.
Declaring a Story Detail

Sometimes, you want to add a detail that works
to your characters advantage in a scene. For
example, you might use this to narrate a convenient
coincidence, like retroactively having the right
supplies for a certain job (Of course I brought that
along!), showing up at a dramatically appropriate

moment, or suggesting that you and the NPC you
just met have mutual clients in common.
To do this, youll spend a fate point. You should
try to justify your story details by relating them to
your aspects. GMs, you have the right to veto any
suggestions that seem out of scope or ask the player
to revise them, especially if the rest of the group isnt
buying into it.
Barrage and Trinity have made it into the
corporations main server room, where
they hope to find the evidence they need
on the companys involvement in the illegal
manufacturing and selling of weapons based
on extraterrestrial technology that is supposed
to be banned by the government.
They get into the room and Mike informs
them that the servers are several generations
more advanced than anything theyve ever
seen before, and the interface looks to be
something beyond normal Earth designs.
Keirdwyn looks at her sheet for Barrage,
and reminds the group that she has Hi-Tech
Billionaire Hero. She wants to know if Barrage
can take a few minutes to study the interface
and intuitively know how it operates.
Mike thinks about it for a few seconds, and
agrees.
Compels
Sometimes (in fact, probably often), youll find
yourself in a situation where an aspect complicates
your characters life and creates unexpected drama.
When that happens, the GM will suggest a potential
complication that might arise. This is called a compel.
Sometimes, a compel means your character
automatically fails at some goal, or your characters
choices are restricted, or simply that unintended
consequences cloud whatever your character does.
You might negotiate back and forth on the details a
little, to arrive at what would be most appropriate and
dramatic in the moment.
Once youve agreed to accept the complication, you
get a fate point for your troubles. If you want, you
can pay a fate point to prevent the complication from
happening, but we dont recommend you do that very
often. Youll probably need that fate point later, and
getting compelled brings drama (and hence, fun) into
your games story.
17
Players, youre going to call for a compel when you

want there to be a complication in a decision youve
just made, if its related to one of your aspects.
GMs, youre going to call for a compel when you
make the world respond to the characters in a
complicated or dramatic way.
Anyone at the table is free to suggest when a compel
might be appropriate for any character (including
their own). GMs, you have the final word on whether
or not a compel is valid. And speak up if you see that
a compel happened naturally as a result of play, but
no fate points were awarded.
Dylan has Avenging Vampiric Detective on
his sheet as the hero group is trying to get
the cooperation of Detective Paul Blake. They
need information on certain gang activities
near the docks that his Special Crimes Unit
possesses, but the detective isnt too keen on
a bunch of costumes trying to do get in the
way of real police doing their jobs.
During the scene, Mike looks at the players
aspects and notices the one for Midnight
18
Avenger. He suggests that the detective isnt

as forthcoming as the group had hoped. Since
Midnight Avenger hasnt been able to feed on
blood lately, the detectives reluctance makes
him pretty angry. Hes had a rage slowly
boiling inside of him from the hunger. Midnight
Avenger is going to bare his fangs and assume
his full vampiric visage as he attempts to
attack the detective for needlessly holding out
on them. Although the group will hold the hero
back, the detective is now, more than ever, not
about to help the team.
Dylan accepts the new story twist, and Mike
hands him a fate point. The group will have
to probably find another way to get the
information they need.
Start Playing!
These are the basic things you need to know to play
Daring Comics RPG. The following chapters go into
greater detail on everything weve covered above, and
will show you how to get your game off the ground.
Chapter 2: Aspects And Fate Points

Aspects and fate points are the main driving force
behind any game using the fate system, and theyre
vitally important to your super-heroes. Through
aspects and fate points, your heroes will pull off more
daring action and wield more narrative power than
simply rolling a few dice.
Before we go any further, lets take a detailed look at
aspects, fate points, and how they work together.
Defining Aspects
Aspects are phrases that describes something unique
or noteworthy about whatever theyre attached to.
Theyre the primary way you spend and gain fate
points, and they influence the story by providing
an opportunity for a character to get a bonus,
complicating a characters life, or adding to another
characters roll or passive opposition.
Defining Fate Points

GMs and players, you both have a pool of points
called fate points that you can use to influence the
game. You represent these with tokens, as already
mentioned in Chapter 1: The Basics. Players, you
start with a number of fate points equal to your
characters refresh every story arc. Youll also reset to
your refresh rate if you ended an issue with fewer fate
points than your rate. GMs, you get a budget of fate
points to spend in every scene.
When your aspects come into play, you will usually
spend or gain a fate point.
Types Of Aspects
Daring Comics has a few different kinds of aspects:
series aspects, character aspects, power set aspects,
situation aspects, consequences, and boosts. They
primarily differ from one another in terms of what
theyre attached to and how long they last.
Series Aspects
Series aspects are permanent fixtures of the series,
hence the name. While they might change over time,
theyre never going to go away. Youll define the initial
series aspects during series creation. They describe

beginning problems or threats that exist in the world,
and are going to be the basis for at least your first
story arc.
Everyone can invoke, compel, or create an advantage
on a series aspect at any time; theyre always there
and available for anyones use.
Character Aspects
Character aspects are attached to an individual
character. They describe a near-infinite number of
things that set each of them apart, such as:
A concept phrase that tells what your character
is all about, such as: Patriotic Super-Soldier,
Billionaire Playboy Inventor, or Uncanny Crimefighting Archer.
The characters motivation for what he does,
such as: With Great Power Comes Great
Responsibility, If Good Does Not Act, Evil Wins,
or There is No Justice, Only Punishment
Something from the past, such as a life-changing
event: Inaction Harms Others, or Living With the
Ghosts of my Parents.
A core value, such as: The law is Immutable,
Killing is Never an Option, or The Legal System
is a Revolving Door.
You can invoke or call for a compel on any of your
character aspects whenever theyre relevant. GMs,
you can always propose compels to any character
aspect. Players, you can suggest compels for other
characters, but the GM is always going to get the final
say on whether or not its a valid suggestion.
Power Set Aspect

Each of your powers are arranged under a thematic
power set. Your character might have one power set,
two power sets, or in some cases even three or more
power sets. However many power sets you have,
each one has its own aspect that can be invoked and
compelled as normal. Power sets also have another
function, but well cover that in the Powers chapter.
The power set aspect should say something about
the origins or theme of the powers contained within
19
it, such as: Master of Fire Control, Arcane Spells

and Mastery, Intensive Training and Study, Alien
Physiology.
Situation Aspects
A situation aspect is temporary, intended to last only
for a single scene or until it no longer makes sense (but
no longer than an Issue, at most). Situation aspects
can be attached to the environment the scene takes
place in, which affects everybody in the scene; but
you can also attach them to specific characters by
targeting them when you create an advantage.
Situation aspects describe significant features of the
circumstances the characters are dealing with in a
scene. Some example are:
Physical features of the environment: Dense
Underbrush, Obscuring Snowdrifts, Low Gravity
Planet.
Positioning or placement: Snipers Perch, In the
Trees, Backyard.
20
Immediate obstacles: Burning Building, Hi-Tech

Lock, Yawning Chasm.
Contextual details that are likely to come
into play: Disgruntled Police Officer, Security
Cameras, Loud Machinery.
Sudden changes in a characters status:
Disarmed, Dazed, Cornered.
Who can use a situation aspect depends a lot on
narrative context. Sometimes itll be very clear,
and sometimes youll need to justify how using the
aspect makes sense based on whats happening in
the scene. The GM is the final arbiter on what aspect
uses are valid.
Sometimes situation aspects become obstacles
that characters need to overcome. Other times they
give you justification to provide active opposition
against someone.
Consequences
A consequence is more permanent than a situation
aspect, but not quite as permanent as a character
aspect. Theyre a special kind of aspect you take in
order to avoid getting taken out in a conflict. They

describe lasting injuries or problems that you take
away from a conflict: Dislocated Shoulder, Bloody
Nose, and so forth.
Gathering Crowd of Spectators to the scene, and

its brought into play, it becomes a different ballgame
entirely as now the heroes have to worry about the
innocent people too stupid to flee a super-brawl.
Consequences stick around for a variable length

of time, from a few scenes to an entire story arc,
depending on how severe they are and what series
tone you chose. Because of their negative phrasing,
youre likely to get compelled a lot when you have
them, and anyone who can justifiably benefit
from the consequence can invoke it or create an
advantage on it.
Deciding When to
Use Mechanics
Boosts
GMs, this comes up for you most often when youre

trying to figure out whether to require a player to roll
dice. If a player says is simply flying over an island, then
theres no real reason to require an overcome action
to grab it. But if the situation aspects tell you that the
island is Protected by Defensive Batteries and the
villain has a Massive Weather Dominator Device,
then you suddenly have an element of pressure and
risk that makes it worth going to the dice.
Boosts are a super-transient kind of aspect. You get a

boost when youre trying to create an advantage but
dont succeed well enough, or as an added benefit
to succeeding especially well at an action. You get
to invoke them for free, but as soon as you do, the
aspect goes away.
If you want, you can also allow another character to
invoke your boost, if its relevant and could help them out.
What Aspects Do
In Daring Comics, aspects do two major things: they
tell you whats important about the game, and they
help you decide when to use the mechanics.
Importance
Each collection of aspects indicates what you need to
focus on during the game. Think of them as guiding
you toward a dramatic narrative impact.
GMs, when you create stories in Daring Comics, youre
going to use those aspects, and the connections
between aspects, to generate the problems your
heroes are going to solve. Players, your aspects are
the reason why your heroes stand out from every
other character who might have similar skills.
The series aspects do something similar, but on
a larger scale. They help show why the heroes are
involved in the larger story, what threatens the lives
of innocents or is prepared to endanger an entire
galactic sector.
Situation aspects make the moment-to-moment
interactions of play interesting by adding color and
depth to what might otherwise be a boring scene. A
fight in a city street is generic by nature. It could be any
city street, anywhere. But when you add the aspect
Because aspects tell us whats important, they also tell

us when its most appropriate to use the mechanics
to deal with a situation, rather than just letting the
group decide what happens by only describing what
the characters do.
Players, this comes up for you most often when

invoking your aspects and considering compels.
Your aspects highlight what makes your character an
individual, and you want to play that up. So when the
opportunity comes up to make your character more
awesome by invoking, or when you see an opportunity
to influence the story by suggesting a compel for your
character, do it! The game will be much richer for it.
Making A Good Aspect

Since aspects are so important to the game, its
important to make the best possible aspects.
How do you know what is a good aspect? Simple: the
best aspects are double-edged. They say more than
one thing. They also keep the phrasing simple.
Double-Edged
Good aspects offer a clear benefit to a character while
also providing opportunities to complicate their lives.
An aspect with a double-edge is going to come up
in play more often than a mostly positive or negative
one. You can use them more frequently, and youll
be able to accept more compels and gain more fate
points.
Try this as a litmus test: list two ways you might invoke
the aspect, and two ways someone else could invoke
it or you could get a compel from it. If the examples
21
come easily to mind, great! If not, add more context

to make that aspect work or put that idea to the side
and come up with a new aspect.
Lets look at an aspect like Covert Expert.
The benefits of having this aspect are
pretty obvious: any time youre breaking
into someplace, using deceit and lies to get
information, or maybe wearing a disguise, you
could justify invoking it. But it doesnt seem
like theres a lot of room for that aspect to
work against you. So, lets think of a way we
can spice that up a bit.
What if we change that aspect to Lone
Wolf Black Operative? That still carries the
connotations that would allow you to take
advantage of it while working undercover and
on covert operations, but it adds a downside,
youre likely used to working on your own and
untrusting of people. This might mean that
you could accept compels to trip-up potential
allies, or someone might invoke your aspect
when youre required to work with other
people in certain situations.
GMs, this is just as true of your game and situation
aspects. Any feature of a scene you call out should be
something that either the PCs or their foes could use
in a dramatic fashion. Your game aspects do present
problems, but they also should present ways for the
PCs to take advantage of the status quo.
Say More Than One Thing

Earlier, we noted several things that a character aspect
might describe: personality traits, backgrounds,
relationships, problems, possessions, and so forth.
The best aspects overlap across a few of those
categories, because that means you have more ways
to bring them into play.
Lets look at a simple aspect that a new
hero might have: I Must Prove Myself. You
can invoke this whenever youre trying to do
something to gain the approval of others or
demonstrate your competence. Someone
might compel it to bait you into getting into a
fight you want to avoid, or to accept a hardship
for the sake of approval. So we know it has a
double edge, so far so good.
Thatll work for a bit, but eventually this aspect
will run out of steam. It says just one thing about
the character. Either youre trying to prove
yourself, or this aspect isnt going to come up.
22
Now tie that aspect in with a relationship to

an organization: I Must Prove Myself to the
Sentinels of Society. Your options open up a
great deal. Not only do you get all the content
from before, but youve introduced a superhero team that can govern your actions as a
new hero, give you assignments or threaten
to take you out of the field, and demand that
you abide by a certain moral code (such as no
killing). You can also invoke the aspect when
dealing with the super-team or with anyone
else who might be affected by the teams
reputation. Suddenly, that aspect has a lot
more going on around it.
GMs, for your situation aspects, you dont have
to worry about this as much, because theyre only
intended to stick around for a scene. Its much more
important for game and character aspects to suggest
multiple contexts for use.
Clear Phrasing
Because aspects are phrases, they come with all the
ambiguities of language. If no one knows what your
aspect means, it wont get used enough. Just a
Simple Detective isnt quite as inspiring as Avenging
Vampiric Detective. However, dont do this at the
expense of clarity. Avoid metaphors and implications,
when you can get away with just saying what you
mean. That way, other people dont have to stop and
ask you during play if a certain aspect would apply, or
get bogged down in discussions about what it means.
Lets look at Memories and Nightmares.
Theres something evocative about the
phrase, but as an aspect, I dont really know
what its supposed to do. How does it help
you? What are the memories of? What are the
nightmares about? Without some concrete
idea of what the aspects referring to, invoking
and compelling it is pretty much impossible.
Suppose we talk about this some, and you
specify that you were going for this idea that
your character was scarred from years spent
in the settings recent war against an evil alien
race (the Necroleans) hell-bent on destroying
all life in the universe. You watched entire
planets fall, saw twisted lifeforms you never
imagined possible, and pretty much had all
your normal view of the world (even accounting
for super-powers) turned inside-out.
A possibly better aspect for all that might
be Scars from the Necrolean War. Less
ambiguous, and it directly references all the

stuff youre talking about, and gives me ideas
about people from your past I may be able to
bring back into your life.
If youre wondering if your aspect is unclear, ask the
people at the table what they think it means.
If You Get Stuck

Now you know what makes for a good aspect, but
that doesnt narrow down your potential choices
anyyou still have a nearly infinite set of topics and
ideas to choose from.
If youre still stuck about what to choose, here are
some tips to make things a little easier on you.
Sometimes, Its Better

Not to Choose
If you cant think of an aspect that really grabs you,
then youre better off leaving that space blank or just
keeping whatever ideas you had scribbled in the
margins. Sometimes its much easier to wait for your
character to get into play before you figure out how
you want to word a particular aspect.
So when in doubt, leave it blank. Maybe you have
a general idea of the aspect but dont know how
to phrase it, or maybe you just have no idea. Dont
worry about it. Theres always room during the game
to figure it out as you go.
The same thing is true if you have more than one idea
that seems interesting, but they dont work together
and you dont know xwhich one to pick. Write them
all down in the margins and see which one seems to
really sing in play. Then fill the space with the one that
gets the most mileage.
Vary It Up
You dont want all your aspects to describe the
same kind of thing. Five relationships means that
you cant use your aspects unless one of them is
in play, but five personality traits means that you
have no connection to the game world. If youre
stuck on what to pick for an aspect, looking at
what kinds of things your other aspects describe
may help you figure out which way to go for the
current phase.
Let Your Friends Decide

Weve talked before about the fact that the game
works best if everyone is invested in what everyone
else is doing collaboration is at the heart of the
game, and well probably say it a lot more times
before the end of this book.
You always have the option, especially with aspects,
of simply asking the GM and other players to come up
with something on your behalf. Pitch them the events
of the phase, and ask them the same questions
theyre going to be asking of you. What matters to
them? What are they excited about? Do they have
suggestions about how to make the events of the
phase more dramatic or intense? What aspect do
they think would be most interesting or appropriate?
You have the final decision as to what your characters
aspects are, so dont look at it as giving up control.
Look at it as asking your ever-important fan club
and audience what they want to see, and using their
suggestions to jumpstart your own train of thought.
If everyone has a bit of input on everyone elses
characters, the game will benefit from that sense of
mutual investment.
Invoking Aspects
The primary way youre going to use aspects is to
invoke them. If youre in a situation where an aspect is
beneficial to your character somehow, you can invoke
it.
In order to invoke an aspect, explain why the aspect
is relevant, spend a fate point, and you can choose
one of these benefits:
Take a +2 on your current skill roll after youve
rolled the dice.
Reroll all your dice.
Pass a +2 benefit to another characters roll, if
its reasonable that the aspect youre invoking
would be able to help.
Add +2 to any source of passive opposition, if its
reasonable that the aspect youre invoking could
contribute to making things more difficult. You
can also use this to create passive opposition at
Fair (+2) if there wasnt going to be any.
23
The Reroll Vs. The +2

Rerolling the dice is a little riskier than just
getting the +2 bonus, but has the potential for
greater benefit. We recommend you reserve this
option for when youve rolled a 3 or a 4 on
the dice, to maximize the chance that youll get
a beneficial result from rerolling. The odds are
better that way.
It doesnt matter when you invoke the aspect, but
usually its best to wait until after youve rolled the
dice to see if youre going to need the benefit. You
can invoke multiple aspects on a single roll, but you
cannot invoke the same aspect multiple times on a
single roll. So if your reroll doesnt help you enough,
youll have to pick another aspect (and spend another
fate point) for a second reroll or that +2.
The group has to buy into the relevance of a particular
aspect when you invoke it; GMs, youre the final
arbiter on this one. The use of an aspect should make
sense, or you should be able to creatively narrate
your way into ensuring it makes sense.
Precisely how you do this is up to you. Sometimes, it
makes so much sense to use a particular aspect that
you can just hold up the fate point and name it. Or
you might need to embellish your characters action a
little more so that everyone understands where youre
coming from. (Thats why we recommend making
sure that youre on the same page with the group
as to what each of your aspects meansit makes it
easier to justify bringing it into play.)
Free Invocations
You dont always have to pay a fate point to invoke an
aspect sometimes its free.
When you succeed at creating an advantage, you
stick a free invocation onto an aspect. If you
succeed with style, you get two invocations. Some of
the other actions also give you free boosts.
You also get to stick a free invocation on any
consequences you inflict in a conflict.
Free invocations work like normal ones except in
two ways: no fate points are exchanged, and you
can stack them with a normal invocation for a better
bonus. So you can use a free invocation and pay
a fate point on the same aspect to get a +4 bonus
instead of a +2, two rerolls instead of one, or you can
add +4 to another characters roll or increase passive
24
opposition by +4. Or you could split the benefits,

getting a reroll and a +2 bonus. You can also stack
multiple free invocations together.
After youve used your free invocation, if the aspect
in question is still around, you can keep invoking it by
spending fate points.
Wraith succeeds on an attack, and causes
his opponent to take the Mild Concussion
consequence. On the next exchange, he
attacks him again, and he can invoke that for
free because he put it there, giving him a +2
or a reroll.
If you want, you can pass your free invocation to another
character. That allows you to get some teamwork
going between you and a buddy. This is really useful in
a conflict if you want to set someone up for a big blow.
Everyone creates an advantage and passes their free
invocations onto one person, then that person stacks
all of them up at once for a huge bonus.
Compelling Aspects
The other way you use aspects in the game is called a
compel. If youre in a situation where having or being
around a certain aspect means your characters life is
more dramatic or complicated, someone can compel
the aspect. That aspect can be on your character,
the scene, location, game, or anywhere else thats
currently in play. Well start with character aspects,
and then talk about situation aspects in a bit.
In order to compel an aspect, explain why the
aspect is relevant, and then make an offer as to
what the complication is. You can negotiate the
terms of the complication a bit, until you reach
a reasonable consensus. Whoever is getting
compelled then has two options:
Accept the complication and receive a fate point
Pay a fate point to prevent the complication
from happening
The complication from a compel occurs regardless
of anyones effortsonce youve made a deal and
taken the fate point, you cant use your skills or
anything else to mitigate the situation. You have
to deal with the new story developments that arise
from the complication.
If you prevent the complication from happening, then you
and the group describe how you avoid it. Sometimes it
just means that you agree that the event never happened
in the first place, and sometimes it means narrating your

character doing something proactive. Whatever you
need to do in order to make it make sense works fine,
as long as the group is okay with it.
GMs, youre the final arbiter here, as always not
just on how the result of a compel plays out, but on
whether or not a compel is valid in the first place. Use
the same judgment you apply to an invocation it
should make instinctive sense, or require only a small
amount of explanation, that a complication might
arise from the aspect.
Finally, and this is very important: if a player wants
to compel another character, it costs a fate point to
propose the complication. The GM can always compel
for free, and any player can propose a compel on his
or her own character for free.
Types of Compels
There are two major categories for what a compel
looks like in the game: events and decisions. These
are tools to help you figure out what a compel should
look like and help break any mental blocks.
Events
An event-based compel happens to the character in
spite of herself, when the world around her responds
to a certain aspect in a certain way and creates a
complicating circumstance. It looks like this:
You have ____ aspect and are in ____ situation, so it
makes sense that, unfortunately, ____ would happen
to you. Damn your luck.
Here are two:
Barrage has Heir to State Industries, one
of the worlds leading conglomerates in
technological research and development.
Shes covertly attending a press conference,
expecting an attack on the Mayor. Someone
in the crowd recognizes her anyway, from
an article about her fathers company that
appeared last month. The person makes a
huge fuss, and all eyes turn to her.
Wraith was Once a Criminal, Now a Hero.
While tailing someone important to finding out
where a crime boss is hiding out, an unmarked
police car drives by, turns around, and flashes its
lights. Two detectives step out the very same
two who Wraith once had violent, personal runins with in the past. They slam him against the
wall, and the person he was following disappears.
As youll see with decision-based compels, the real

mileage is in the complication itself. Without that, you
dont really have anything worth focusing onthe
fact that the PCs continually have complicated and
dramatic things happen to them is, well, exactly what
makes them PCs in the first place.
GMs, event-based compels are your opportunity to
party. Youre expected to control the world around
the PCs, so having that world react to them in an
unexpected way is pretty much part and parcel of
your job description.
Players, event-based compels are great for you. You
get rewarded simply by being therehow much more
awesome can you get? You might have a difficult
time justifying an event-based compel yourself, as it
requires you to assert control over an element of the
game that you typically arent in charge of. Feel free
to propose an event-based compel, but remember
that the GM has the final say on controlling the game
world and may veto you if shes got something else
in mind.
Decisions
A decision is a kind of compel that is internal to
the character. It happens because of a decision he
makes, hence the name. It looks like this:
You have ____ aspect in ____ situation, so it makes
sense that youd decide to ____. This goes wrong
when ____ happens.
Here are two:
Barrage has With Money Comes Power, so
she decides to propose a possible donation
to the Police Department in exchange for
some information concerning an ongoing
investigation. This goes wrong when the
Detective considers it a bribe attempt,
and puts her and her hero team in his own
investigative crosshairs.
Midnight Avenger has Crime Feeds on
Innocence, I Feed on Crime, and decides
to use his vampiric powers to feed on a
criminal who had murdered a young child
in a drive-by. This goes wrong when two
women in the neighborhood witness the
attack from their third story windows, and
the police are given a description.
So the real dramatic impact from these kinds of
compels is not what decision the character makes,
but rather how things go wrong. Before something
25
goes wrong, the first sentence could be a prelude to

making a skill roll or simply a matter of roleplaying.
The complication that the decision creates is really
what makes it a compel.
GM Compel Warning
If you offer a decision-based compel, and no
one can agree on what the decision part should
be, it shouldnt cost a fate point to counterjust
drop it. Countering a decision-based compel
should only mean that the what goes wrong
part doesnt happen.
GMs, remember that a player is ultimately
responsible for everything that the character
says and does. you can offer decision-based
compels, but if the player doesnt feel like the
decision is one that the character would make,
dont force the issue by charging a fate point.
instead, negotiate the terms of the compel until
you find a decision the player is comfortable
making, and a complication that chains from
that decision instead. if you cant agree on
something, drop it.
The decision part should be very self-evident, and
something a player might have been thinking about
doing anyway. The same goes for players trying to
compel NPCs or each others PCs, make sure you
have a strong mutual understanding of what that NPC
or other character might do before proposing the
compel.
Players, if you need fate points, this is a really good
way of getting them. If you propose a decision-based
compel for your character to the GM, then what youre
basically asking is for something youre about to do
to go wrong somehow. You dont even have to have
a complication in mindsimply signaling the GM
should be enough to start a conversation. GMs, as
long as the compel isnt weak (as in, as long as theres
a good, juicy complication), you should go with this.
If the compel is weak, poll the rest of the group for
ideas until something more substantial sticks.
Retroactive Compels
Sometimes, youll notice during the game that youve
fulfilled the criteria for a compel without a fate point
getting awarded. Youve played your aspects to the
hilt and gotten yourself into all kinds of trouble, or
youve narrated crazy and dramatic stuff happening to
a character related to their aspects just out of reflex.
26
Anyone who realizes this in play can mention it, and

the fate point can be awarded retroactively, treating
it like a compel after the fact. GMs, youre the final
arbiter. It should be pretty obvious when something
like this occurs, though. Just look at the guidelines for
event and decision compels above, and see if you can
summarize what happened in the game according to
those guidelines. If you can, award a fate point.
Compelling with
Situation Aspects
Just like with every other kind of aspect use, you
can use situation aspects (and by extension, game
aspects) for compels. Because situation aspects are
usually external to characters, youre almost always
looking at event-based compels rather than decisionbased ones. The character or characters affected get
a fate point for the compel.
Here are two examples:
Because the apartment complex is On Fire,
and the player characters must rescue people
from within, it makes sense that, unfortunately,
the thug theyre chasing can get away in the
confusion.
The corporate structure the team is breaking
into to find connections to a black market
super-soldier program has redundant security,
and Redundant Security for the Redundant
Security. So, it makes sense that their
intrusion will be noticed at some point.
Using Aspects For Roleplaying

Finally, aspects have a passive use that you can draw
on in almost every instance of play. They can be used
as a guide to roleplaying your character. Aspects give
a big picture of what your characters about, and they
can reveal interesting implications if you read between
the lines. If youre wondering what your character
might do in a certain situation, look at your aspects.
What do they say about your characters personality,
goals, and desires? Are there any clues in what your
aspects say that might suggest a course of action?
Once you find that suggestion, go for it.
Playing to your aspects also has another benefit:
youre feeding the GM ideas for compels. Youre
already bringing your aspects into the game, so all
she has to do is offer you complications and youre
good to go.
GMs use the NPC aspects the same way.

GMs can also use character aspects as a way of
figuring
out
how the world
reacts to the
characters.
Does someone
have the aspect
No
One
is
Stronger?
Thats
a
reputation that
might precede
that character,
one that villains
might
know
about and react
to.
Also, it might
even
suggest
something
about
that
c h a r a c t e r s
physical
size
and
build
(though
with
super-powers,
not
always).
You know that
most people are
going to give
that character
a wide berth
in a crowded
space,
might
be
naturally
intimidated, or
might be overly
aggressive or brusque as overcompensation for
being intimidated.
But no ones going to ignore that character. Inserting
these kinds of aspect-related details into your
narration can help your game seem more vivid and
consistent, even when youre not shuffling fate points
around.
Barrage, in her civilian disguise of Amanda
State, daughter of Darren State and heir to her
fathers corporate empire, she is on a national
talk show discussing her life as one of the
wealthiest heirs on in the country.
During the interview, the host mentions her

mothers death in a mugging, an event that
happened when Amanda was 14 years old
and serves
as one of
her
main
reasons
for secretly
becoming a
super-hero.
Although the
topic starts
innocently
enough, the
host
soon
shows that
he has an
axe to grind,
and accuses
Amanda
of learning
nothing
from what
happened to
her mother,
and
living
a sheltered
life not truly
aware
of
what its like
out
there
for everyday
people.
Amanda
cant exactly
go on record
that
she
is
actually
Barrage, but dredging up her mothers death
has struck a chord. Keirdwyn looks at her
sheet and sees the aspect: I will Always Miss
My Mother.
Playing on that, she tears up as she recalls
that night eight years ago, and goes off on
the host not only about using her mother as a
weapon against her, but also discussing all the
community fundraising and outreach events
she has done as Amanda State. Right there
on national television.
Invoking for Effect

27
When you invoke for effect, youre spending a fate

point or a free invocation to create a specifically
defined mechanical effect, something other than what
a typical aspect is capable of. Although this is primarily
used with Power Set effects in Daring Comics, it can
also be used for pretty much any character aspect if
the your group agrees.
If a character can interfere with your action, they get

to roll active opposition against you as per normal.
Otherwise, GMs, its your job to set passive opposition
or just allow the player to get rid of the aspect without
a roll, if theres nothing risky or interesting in the way.
When you create an aspect, look at it and decide

whether or not it needs a special effect attached to
it. Maybe your hero can control the Earth, and can
invoke the Power Set aspect to avoid falling down or
being moved against his will, or maybe your psychic
detective can invoke Mental Eavesdropper to read
someones surface thoughts.
Creating And Discovering

New Aspects In Play
Mechanically, an aspect effect should be worth the

fate point youre spending the equivalent to two
shifts worth of potency, just like any other effect
of invoking an aspect. Aspect effects should do
something, like in the examples above, rather than
provide a static bonus. A regular aspect invocation
already provides a bonus, so you dont need a
special effect that does that, too. An aspect effect is
a bit like having an extra rules-exception stunt that
you always have to pay for, both in terms of what the
effect can accomplish and the amount of complexity
it adds to your character.
In terms of cost, its okay for PCs to have one or
even two of these effects, and they should never
replace purchasing a power. They should be on
par with a normal aspect invocation in terms of
potency, and should be more situational so theyre
less likely to be used often. If an effect is more than
that, the GM is within his rights to either suggest
you purchase the proper power, or at least spend a
Hero Point on additional effects.
Removing Or Changing
An Aspect
Game and character aspects change through
advancement. See the Milestones section in Chapter
15: Advancing the Series for that.
If you want to get rid of a situation aspect, you can do it
in one of two ways: roll an overcome action specifically
for the purpose of getting rid of the aspect, or roll some
other kind of action that would make the aspect make no
sense if you succeed. (For example, if youre Grappled,
you could try to sprint away. If you succeed, it wouldnt
make sense for you to be Grappled anymore, so youd
also get rid of that aspect.)
28
Finally, if at any point it simply makes no sense for a

situation aspect to be in play, get rid of it.
In addition to your character aspects, series aspects,

and the situation aspects that the GM presents, you
have the ability to create, discover, or gain access to
other aspects as you play.
For the most part, youll use the Create an Advantage
action to make new aspects. When you describe
the action that gives you an advantage, the context
should tell you if it requires a new aspect or if it
derives from an existing one. If youre bringing a
new circumstance into play, like throwing sand in
someones eyes, then youre indicating that you need
a new situation aspect.
With some skills, its going to make more sense to
stick an advantage to an aspect thats already on
some other characters sheet. In this case, the PC or
NPC youre targeting would provide active opposition
to keep you from being able to use that aspect.
If youre not looking for a free invocation, and you
just think itd make sense if there were a particular
situation aspect in play, you dont need to roll the
dice or anything to make new aspects; just suggest
them, and if the group thinks theyre interesting,
write them down.
Gm: Extremely Powerful

Ninja Gm Trick
So, if you dont have any aspects made up for a
scene or an NPC, just ask the players what kinds
of aspects theyre looking for when they roll to
create an advantage. If they tie or succeed, just
write down something similar to what they were
looking for and say they were right. If they fail,
write it down anyway, or write another aspect
down thats not advantageous to them, so as to
contrast with their expectations.
Secret or Hidden Aspects

Some skills also let you use the create an advantage
action to reveal aspects that are hidden, either on
NPCs or environments. In this case, the GM simply
tells you what the aspect is if you get a tie or better
on the roll. You can use this to fish for aspects if
youre not precisely sure what to look for, doing well
on the roll is sufficient justification for being able to
find something advantage-worthy.
Generally speaking, we assume that most of the
aspects in play are public knowledge for the players.
The PCs character sheets are sitting on the table, and
probably the main and supporting NPCs are as well.
That doesnt always mean the characters know about
those aspects, but thats one of the reasons why the
create an advantage action exists, to help you justify
how a character learns about other characters.
Also, remember that aspects can help deepen the
story only if you get to use themaspects that are
never discovered might as well never have existed in
the first place. So most of the time, the players should
always know what aspects are available for their use,
and if theres a question as to whether or not the
character knows, use the dice to help you decide.
Finally, GMs, we know that sometimes youre going to
want to keep an NPCs aspects secret, or not reveal
certain situation aspects right away, because youre
trying to build tension in the story. If the PCs are
investigating a series of murders, you dont exactly
want the culprit to have Sociopathic Serial Murderer
sitting on an index card for the PCs to see at the
beginning of the adventure.
In those cases, we recommend you dont make an
aspect directly out of whatever fact youre trying to
keep secret. Instead, make the aspect a detail that
makes sense in context after the secret is revealed.
Michael is making an NPC whos secretly a
super-villain living in New York City, the main
bad guy in the story arc hes planning. Hes
also a known philanthropist, so he doesnt
want to give things away too easily.
Instead of making a Secretly a Criminal
Mastermind aspect, he decides to make a
few personal details instead: Super-Hero
Groupie (he takes an uncanny interest in
super-heroes and their exploits), Smarter
Than He Looks, and Wheels Within Wheels.
If the heroes discover a couple of these, or
see them on the table, they might start to
suspect the NPC, but its not going to ruin the

mystery of the story arc right away.
Invoking or Compelling
Another Characters Aspect
You can invoke or compel any aspect (that you know
about) attached to another player-character or NPC.
To do so, simply spend a fate point and declare the
invocation or compel.
To invoke another characters or NPCs aspect, the
fate point you would pay goes to that player, or the
gamemaster. Place it somewhere on the table (youve
just spent it), but they do not get it until the end of
the scene. For gamemasters, it goes into their default
pool at the beginning of the next scene.
Compelling anothers aspect works the same way,
except when they spend a fate point to resist the
compel, it goes to the player who initiated the compel.
The Fate Point Economy

For the most part, the use of aspects revolves
around fate points. You indicate your supply of fate
points by using tokens, such as poker chips, glass
beads, or other markers.
Ideally, you want a consistent ebb and flow of fate
points going on throughout your sessions. Players
spend them in order to be awesome in a crucial
moment, and they get them back when their lives
get dramatic and complicated. So if your fate points
are flowing the way theyre supposed to, youll end
up with these cycles of triumphs and setbacks that
make for a fun and interesting story.
Heres how that works.
Refresh
Each player gets a number of fate points to start each
issue off with. That total is called the refresh rate. The
refresh is determined by your Series Tone.
You might end an issue of play with more fate points
than your actual refresh. If that happens, you dont
lose the additional points when you start the next
issue, but you dont gain any either.
At the start of a new story arc, you reset your fate
points to your refresh rate no matter what.
29
Spending Fate Points

You spend fate points in any of the following ways:
use these points on behalf of any NPC you want,

but you can get more in that scene if they take a
compel, like PCs do.
Invoke an Aspect: Invoking an aspect costs you

one fate point, unless the invocation is free.
You reset to your default total, one per PC, at the

beginning of every scene.
Power a Stunt or Power: Some stunts or

powers are very potent, and as such, cost a fate
point in order to activate.
There are two exceptions:
Refuse a Compel: Once a compel is

proposed, you can pay a fate point to avoid the
complication associated with it.
Declare a Story Detail: To add something to
the narrative based on one of your aspects,
spend a fate point.
Earning Fate Points

You earn fate points in any of the following ways:
Accept a Compel: You get a fate point when
you agree to the complication associated
with a compel. As we said above, this
may sometimes happen retroactively if the
circumstances warrant.
Have Your Aspects Invoked Against You:
If someone pays a fate point to invoke an
aspect attached to your character, you gain
their fate point at the end of the scene.
This includes advantages created on your
character, as well as consequences.
Concede in a Conflict: You receive one fate
point for conceding in a conflict, as well as an
additional fate point for each consequence that
youve received in that conflict. (This isnt the
same as being taken out in a conflict, by the
way, but well get into that later.)
The GM and Fate Points

GMs, you also get to use fate points, but the rules are
a little bit different than the rules for players.
When you award players fate points for compels or
concession, they come out of an unlimited pool you
have for doing soyou dont have to worry about
running out of fate points to award, and you always
get to compel for free.
The NPCs under your control are not so lucky. They
have a limited pool of fate points you get to use
on their behalf. Whenever a scene starts, you get
one fate point for every PC in that scene. You can
30
You accepted a compel that effectively ended the last

scene or starts the next one. If that happens, take an
extra fate point in the next scene.
You conceded a conflict to the PCs in the previous
scene. If that happens, take the fate points youd
normally get for the concession into the next scene
and add them to the default total.
If the immediate next scene doesnt present a
significant interaction with NPCs, you can save these
extra points until the next scene that does.
Michael is running a climactic conflict, where
the PCs are battling a nemesis theyve been
trying to subdue for several scenarios now.
Here are the characters in the scene:
Livewire, an electrical generating supervillain, a main NPC
Brickhouse, a super strong and invulnerable
enforcer, a supporting NPC
Five nameless NPC thugs
Four PCs: Barrage, Wraith, Trinity, and
Midnight Avenger
His total fate point pool for this scene is 4
fate points one each for Midnight Avenger,
Barrage, Trinity, and Wraith. If Wraith had been
elsewhere (say, sneaking in a different way for
a later ambush), Michael wouldve gotten three
fate points, one each for Barrage, Midnight
Avenger, and Trinity.
Late in the conflict, Livewire is forced to
concede so he can get away with his skin
intact. He has taken two consequences in the
conflict, meaning that he gets three fate points
for conceding. Those three fate points carry
over to the next scene.

The first step in beginning a Daring Comics series is
to determine what type of stories you want to tell.
To do that, the players and the gamemaster should
gather around the table for the first session of the
game series and character creation.
Creating the Series

Unlike a lot of other roleplaying games where
the players only create their characters and the
gamemaster creates the campaign on his own, in
Daring Comics everyone has input into the nature of
the series main themes and setting.
Dont worry, you are still responsible for creating your
individual player character, and the gamemaster is
still going to create the nuts and bolts of the series
and the individual issues. What this first session does
is, though, is make sure everyone is on the same
page, that everyone has some input into the stories
that are about to unfold, and that player characters
typically have minor connections to the setting prior
to the first issue.
Gritty Realism
This type of campaign focuses on people with morethan-human abilities existing in a normal, everyday
world. Whether they go public with their abilities or
keep them secret is dependent upon the flavor of the
series. More than likely, however, the normal good,
evil, and gray areas will be explored through the
stories; and the government is likely to have a secret
agency whose sole purpose is the apprehension
and control (or study) of the Metahuman population.
Base Hero Points: 5
Urban Protectors
In this type of campaign, the characters defend the
streets against gangs, insane villains, crime lords,
and other low-level villains. Although the characters
may develop to become slightly more than the peak
human potential, their crime-fighting careers are an
exercise in development and training.
Base Hero Points: 10
Lets take a look at the process step by step.
Super-Heroic
Series Level
Characters in this genre are capable of amazing

feats and can take on most small military forces.
Although not necessarily amongst the most
powerful on the planet, they run a wide range of
abilities and specialties.
The first thing to determine is the Series Level, which

will determine beginning Hero Points, the general
types of stories that can be expected, and the overall
strength of the opposition.
Daring Comics is divided into five different Series
Levels, and each level offers a range of Hero Points.
Youll use the Hero Points to purchase your Stunts
and Powers. If you run out of points and need a few
more things to round out your character, then you
must spend your Refresh on it. Which means that
your base Refresh will be lower, giving you less fate
points to start out with.
Your Beginning Refresh can never drop below 1.
If it would, you cant purchase additional Stunts
or Powers, and will have to wait to improve your
character through Milestones.
Earths Mightiest
Characters in this genre are some of the greatest on
the planet. Villains enter the range of world-dominating
megalomaniacs, and some minor extraterrestrial or
inter-dimensional threats are not uncommon.
Off The Charts

These types of characters can move mountains,
shake the Earth if they cut loose with their powers,
and take on most threats and have a good chance
of surviving. They might be an alien on Earth with
31
near unlimited power, or someone who imbues the

power of a god with a magic word. Villains often
times rule their own planets or dimensions.
Moderate Consequence: After one issue
Four Color
Series Tone
This type of series is the more traditional style of

comic book storytelling. Heroes are generally loved by
the public. Falling out of favor does occur, but rarely
has the ultra-serious effects of the more grim tones.
Flashy powers and hero vs. villain confrontations
are frequent, as are team dynamics in and out of
costume. Although personalities and ideologies on
a team might cause tension and even splinter some
members away, the team as a whole still continues to
fight for truth and justice.
While the Series Level tells you how many resources

you have for powers and stunts, and sets the
benchmark for how powerful your heroes will be, the
Series Tone sets the stage for the types of stories you
intend to tell.
Series Tone comes in three flavors, representing the
most common tones in super-hero comic books.
Each tone establishes your beginning Refresh,
base mental and physical stress boxes, and how
long it takes to fully remove a Consequence after
taking a recovery action.
Severe Consequence: After two issues
Beginning Refresh: 5
Physical and Mental Stress: 4 boxes
Mild Consequence: After one scene
Near Realistic
Moderate Consequence: After half an issue
This tone of series focuses more on heroes existing

in some version of the real world. Heroes might be
low in number, or generally remain hidden from the
public at large. Although powers can run the gamut,
when it comes to physical or mental confrontation,
heroes and their adversaries alike can walk away
with some lasting wounds.
Severe Consequence: After one issue
Moderate Consequence: After one issue
Severe Consequence: After one story arc
Dark & Grim

While the series maintains the feel of a comic book,
its much darker than the normal super-hero style.
Heroes might not be heroes at all, but questionable
anti-heroes who operate outside the law and could
find themselves hunted by law enforcement as much
as the criminals. Physical and mental combat is
painful. Teams often times find themselves facing
an internal rift due to a conflict of ideologies and
personalities.
32
Experience Level
The next thing to determine for your series is how
experienced each of the player-characters will be.
Will they all be new or young heroes, or are they more
just the average Joe stuck in a world where everyone
around them can toss around energy beams and cars
like theyre nothing?
The general experience level of your character
determines your beginning skill points. Dont worry
about how to spend them right now, well cover that
in the Skills chapter. For now, just make a note of how
many skill points you get.
The Experience Level also determines if the
characters get additional Hero Points, representing
past Milestones theyve achieved.
Normal Guy in a
Super World
Although the people you work with can lift cars, shoot
energy beams from their eyes, fly, or move in the blink
of an eye, youre just not on their level. Although you
might have a couple of special devices, your training
in a lot of areas is bare minimum. Youre either just
starting out, or just never put the time in yet to actually
hone your skills to their full potential.
You have a lot of room to grow. But dont worry,

that growth will come quick the more you work with
your teammates to save the world.
Skill Points: 25
Additional Hero Points: 0
New/Young Heroes
Youre powered, youre fired up, youre ready to go
out and kick butt and take names. Its time to put
the evil-doers behind bars! Except you have a lot
to learn, and are probably being reminded of that
often enough by the older or more experienced
heroes.
Maybe you have great potential and a wide array
of powers, but little actual skill in using them. Or
maybe youre all about your powers, and are being
constantly reminded that protecting lives requires
more than just brute force.
Youll grow. Youll learn. But until then, youre going
to have to face and accept your mistakes.
Skill Points: 30
Know the Ropes

Youve fought crime for a little while now, taken
down some criminals, and started building a
reputation for yourself. Youve also likely made
some dangerous enemies, but maybe a powerful
ally or two. Youve started growing, training harder,
and getting better by actual experience.
Skill Points: 35
Been Around the Block

Youve been at this for a couple of years, and have
amassed a lot of experience, most likely through a
combination of training, doing, and trial and error.
Often the younger and less experienced heroes
turn to you for advice, or have learned to steer
clear of you because you are too blasted scary or
psychotic.
Regardless, the people know they can count on you to
protect them. Youve done it countless times before.
Skill Points: 40
Highly Experienced
Youre a paragon to not only the people youve vowed
to protect, but to a lot of other heroes. Whether
masterminds looking to build a doomsday weapon,
megalomaniacs seeking to enslave mankind, or
even extraterrestrial and inter-dimensional threats
youve seen it all. Youve drawn the line, manned the
33
barricades, and shown the world that you will never

give-up and never surrender.
Youre a very experienced hero and have been at this
for several years, maybe even a decade or longer.
Skill Points: 45
Series Framework
Now that youve determined youre the basic
foundations for you type of series, its time to start
figuring out what type of stories you want to tell. We
call this the Series Framework.
By creating a framework for the series as a group,
the players are able to have some input into the
types of stories they want to help tell. Of course,
the players arent designing the whole thing. Its the
GMs job to flesh it out, expand it, create all the
abilities that the villains, supporting cast, and other
NPCs will have, and actually design the stories. But
through the framework, the GM is going to have a
solid basis to expand from, and everyone gets a
hand in creating the series.
So lets take you through the process step by step.
It would be a good idea to have a copy of the Series
Framework sheet for each player and the GM. If
you werent able to print them out, thats okay. Its
perfectly fine to use notebook paper, just as long as
you record each step in the framework for the GM to
have on hand when creating the actual stories.
The Series Scope

The first thing to determine is the scope of the series.
Part of this will already have been indicated by
the Series Level the group agreed upon. An Urban
Protector series is likely to focus on a particular city,
while a Super-Heroic level might take the heroes
to various cities. Obviously, an Earths Mightiest
series could take them around the globe, whereas
Off the Charts could likely put the entire universe or
multiverse in danger.
Dylan, Anna, Keirdwyn, and Xander are the
players in a game Michael is running. Theyve
already decided to play an Urban Protector
series level, and to have a Know the Ropes
experience level. So the group has already
determined the type of game they want to
play: street level heroes who have been at it
a little while, but arent yet truly seasoned at
34
what they do.

They dont really want it Dark & Grim. They want
to play heroes with flaws, but they dont want
the personal flaws and problems dominating the
series. So, they agree to go with the traditional
Four Color tone for the series.
For the series scope, they decide it will take
place in a single city. They discuss it a bit and
decide itll be called Sentinel City. Although
there are powerful teams and heroes in the
city, they usually handle threats on a broader
scale than the group will.
They decide the city has a wide range of
neighborhood types, from the wealthy, to
the scientific and corporate, to the poor and
rundown. They let Michael know that they
want the series to primarily focus on the
poor and rundown sections, where crime is
a serious problem, where gangs hold power,
and where maybe even the larger organized
crime families truly call the shots. They also
imagine those neighborhoods as having plenty
of abandoned buildings and shadows to use
in their war on crime.
Everyone at the table makes notes for the
scope, and moves into the next step.
Series Problems
and Aspects
Next, youll create two major problems the heroes will
face during the first volume, meaning the first to 4 to
12 Issues or so. This doesnt mean the series will only
face these two problems, just that these are the two
that you want to be a part of the storyline.
The Broad Problem: The first problem should
represent the broader, lingering problem that will
indicate one of the main points of the volume. Its
the problem that will set the stage for the types of
situations the characters will be drawn into, but
rests in the background. It slowly builds, until the
characters finally have to confront it in order to
achieve a major story impact.
For this series, its decided that there is an
underworld power vacuum thanks to the
arrest (or supposed death) of a citys crime
kingpin. That idea likely points to stories thatll
involve the street gangs and crime cartels. It
might also mean that the heroes are going to
work with, or maybe even come into conflict
with, local law enforcement. Throughout the

stories, this problem will serve as the overall
background problem (the power struggle),
and will continue to build immediacy. Perhaps
it starts out as rumors and a few gang tussles,
or that a powerful super-villain has moved in
to consolidate his power base and assume
the role of kingpin. Perhaps the heroes hear
suspicion that certain police officers are on the
take, and are helping one faction or another by
arresting and raiding the rivals.
However it builds, this problem will come to
a head in order for the heroes to achieve their
Major Milestone. That doesnt mean they will
win, either. Yes, they might stop the supervillain from becoming the kingpin, but that
still leaves a potential vacuum that could get
worse. With (likely) several of the old gangs
gone, its a ripe opportunity for new cartels to
move in. Maybe, too, the heroes dont realize
the full scope of what theyre up against, the
super-villain they thought they needed to stop
was just a red herring put in place by the real
mastermind behind it all, and while the heroes
were taking the bait, he moved in and assumed
control over the city.
For the first problem, the group creates an aspect
called: Upheaval in the Underworld. They decide
that, at least for now, that aspect serves the purpose:
it sounds like it can be both invoked and compelled
easily enough, and they even come up with a few
mock situations where both could apply. It might
be invoked during a meeting with a gang leader on
a Rapport check, using it to potentially cause him a
temporary break in confidence. The GM could compel
it, causing gang violence to rock a neighborhood at a
time the heroes were supposed to be there but were
instead chasing a red herring. Looks like the residents
are going to give the heroes a bit of friction on any
immediate, future cooperation.
In might be invoked during a combat action,
indicating the hero using the up in the air situation
between all the gangs, and any hesitation or second
guessing that might cause the lower members, to his
advantage. And the GM could again compel if, say,
the heroes managed to capture a gang leader that
all signs pointed to being the frontrunner for the title
of Kingpin. In this case, the prisoner was actually a
patsy, staged to take the fall so that the true, unseen
power behind the curtain would remain free.
So yeah, the group decides that aspect will do. It
is even one they imagine can be adjusted after a
major milestone into a different form, representing

new facets to the growing power struggle, such as if
someone were to gain the top spot and have to face
adversity from various gangs who werent too happy
with his newfound power.
They write the aspect down on the series worksheet.
The Immediate Problem: The second problem the
group will create is the immediate situation that spurs
them into the story.
This problem will usually springboard off the first,
broader problem. What the group determines as
the overall problem of the storyline will help dictate
some ideas for the immediate problems that get them
involved in the plotline.
The group already determined they want
a story focusing on an underworld power
vacuum, with rival gangs and organized crime
families all vying for the top spot.
Expanding on that, they decide that what
gets their heroes really involved in the story
is a series of public battles between gangs
some super-powered, some with quite an
arsenal of weapons that has taken a few
innocent lives in the crossfire. The police are
finding themselves ill-equipped to handle
the escalating war, especially since there are
factions within the Department on the take.
Its time for them to get involved, and start
getting to the bottom of whats going on, and
whos calling what shots.
For this problem, the group creates an aspect
called Gang Violence is Out of Control. They
decide there should be some opportunities to both
invoke and compel the aspect, and jot it down on
the series worksheet.
The Setting
The final step is creating a little bit about the actual
setting where the main stories will take place. Like the
other parts of getting the series created, this step is
also cooperative between the players and GM. This
is where the players get to create some locations and
people to populate the stories, and also anchor their
own characters to parts of the setting.
Although this step gives the players a say is some of
those locations and people, this step doesnt have
the players creating everything about the setting.
35
Phase One:
The Broad
View
The first phase is what we
call the broad view, the
meaning of which will vary
depending on the scope
of your series. This might
be looking at various
planets around the galaxy,
countries around the
world, cities across the
country, or neighborhoods
within a city.
Whichever the case for
your series, each of your
players (assuming a group
of about four players) will
create one or two general
locations. Players should
write down the name of
the broad location, and
a couple of notes about
it. You dont have to get
too specific. Just give the
GM something to go on,
since itll be the GM that
truly fleshes it out when
the stories are created.
In Mikes group, they
decided to play a
street vigilante series
that takes place in
Sentinel City. During
this phase, Anna,
Dylan, Xander, and
Keirdwyn will each
create one or two
neighborhoods.
Thats ultimately still the province of the GM, who still
has to create the stories, adversaries, other allies,
and all the nut and bolts for each story arc. This step
just allows the players a little input and creativity. It
basically allows them to say that a certain location
or NPC is in some way, even if minor, important to
the overall setting and should play some kind of role.
Even if its just their favorite watering hole.
Creating the setting comprises three phases, as
detailed below.
36
Xander
creates
a
neighborhood he calls Liberty Heights, and
determines that it is a rundown, low-income
area with a lot of abandoned buildings and
street crime.
Anna creates a neighborhood called
Ravenswood. She knows she wants to play
a character with ties to the mystic, so she
decides this particular area of the city is
strong in mystic energy. The people there are
superstitious, and in the middle of the night it
isnt uncommon for things to be lurking in the

shadows or just under a sewer grate.
Keirdwyn wants to play someone with a high
Resource skill and a lot of money. After all,
someone has to be able to afford to outfit
this team. She creates a neighborhood
called Cedar Valley. She makes note that its
a secondary downtown area, and home to
a lot of large corporate HQs. Matter of fact,
she asks the GM if it would be okay to call it
the financial hub of the city. Michael thinks
about it, and agrees.
Dylan keeps thinking that other heroes are
going to exist in the city, not just the playergroup, and that any place with super-heroes
would probably have a fairly healthy scientific
R&D industry. He creates a neighborhood
called Hydesville, and notes that its home to
the main universities, as well as more powerful
super-hero teams known for their scientific
knowledge and experiments.
In a game with a higher series level, such as Earths
Mightiest, this phase could easily have been
dedicated to creating foreign nations, other cities of
importance across the U.S., or even hidden nations
of unique residents.
Phase Two: The

Focused View
After the general locations are noted, the next phase
zooms in on those locations a bit more. In this phase,
the players will now create a few specific locations
within those broader areas, basically making note of
places they want the GM to filter into the game at
some point, perhaps even on a repeating level.
Each player should create two or three locations
within their broader area from Phase One.
Continuing with Michaels group, Anna,
Keirdwyn, Dylan, and Xander will now each
create a few specific places within the
neighborhoods they noted in Phase One.
Xander thinks about it, and since his
neighborhood is a rundown, crime-ridden
place, decides that hell stay with that
theme. He creates the Iron Horse Tavern,
and makes note that its a biker bar where
drug deals are made, and other gangs think
twice about hitting due to the sheer amount
of fire power inside of it. He then decides to
take a slighting different path, and creates the

Barludi Foundation for Abused Women and
Children. He makes a note that the Foundation
has centers throughout the city, and that it is
owned by one of the major crime families as a
legitimate, philanthropic, non-profit business.
Anna thinks about her mystic neighborhood,
and creates Beltane Park a sprawling area
almost on the scale of New Yorks Central
Park, where strange thinks lurk in the shadows,
people fear to tread at night, and with a high
concentration of mystic energy to those who
can sense such things. She also decides that the
local Native Americans have a decent presence
in this neighborhood, and creates an old Burial
Ground on the outskirts of Ravenswood. The
Burial Grounds are extremely important to the
neighborhood, and are protected by something
very powerful and vengeful.
Keirdwyn has three ideas for her secondary
downtown. The first is for a black-market
Genetic Research company that she notes
is secretly controlled by an organized crime
family, and has been around in the shadows
for quite some time. Basically, they mutate
and alter supers and normal people, trying
to create tailor-made super-soldiers to sell
to various world governments. She then
decides to create an 18-21 year old Nightclub
called Sidekicks, where young heroes hang
out both in and out of costume, and mingle
with the teenagers of the city. Finally, thinking
about Annas neighborhood and the mystic
themes that the game will include, she
creates Investigation offices called Germaine
Investigations, Inc., and notes that they study
and battle the paranormal.
Dylan has two ideas for his neighborhood. The
first is a place called the Daring Building, which
he notes is both home and business to a family
of super-heroes known for adventures into
strange kingdoms and alternate dimensions.
He also creates Quantum Mechanics, and
notes that it was originally founded decades
ago by a super-hero, and is dedicated to
the manipulation of time, ways to shrink/
miniaturize things, and other cutting edge
science that has plenty of ways to go wrong.
Again, in a higher series level game, this phase might
have included specific regions on a planet, villages or
towns in a foreign nation, or general neighborhoods
in a different city.
37
Phase Three: The People

The final phase of creating the settings basics
involves each player creating two or three NPCs to
populate the locations they previously jotted down.
These should be just general people, and shouldnt be
significant allies, members of the characters family,
or specific members of a Rogues Gallery. Those
types of NPCs will be created during the character
creation steps in the next chapter, and have specific
rewards attached to them. Instead, the NPCs for this
phase are just people who still might help or hinder
the heroes depending upon the scene and story
direction at the time, but are generally there to bring
the locations to life.
Such NPCs should generally possess the abilities of
a Nameless NPC or a Supporting NPC (which are
explained to the GM in Chapter 13: Running the Game),
depending upon what works best for each one.
Xander notes that a man named Ben Carter
owns the Iron Horse Tavern. Ben is going to
be a member of the a local biker gang known
as Sons of Nebecar, which is a powerful
extradimensional demon. He notes that the
gang is heavy into drug distribution and gun
running, and also has several black arts sorcerers
in their ranks. This might also connect them in
some way to the Ravenswood neighborhood,
or even Germaine Investigations. He also
creates Michelle Barludi, a mother of two small
children and wife to one of the top organized
crime personas in the city. He decides
shes the one who really runs the Barludi
Foundation, and that maybe her efforts have
recently garnered the attention of a low-level
super whose children are in hiding from him.
Anna decides that a strange creature calling
itself Spring-Heeled Jack haunts Beltane
Park, and has done so for the past several
decades. He bears a strong resemblance
to the old British legend, and is often not
seen for years, before suddenly appearing
again to terrorize the park at night. She then
decides that the Burial Grounds are guarded
by a powerful spirit known as the Manitou.
Generally, the spirit is dormant, unless
something threatens the Burial Grounds or
areas of Ravenswood close to it.
38
Keirdwyn looks at her locations and what the

other players are creating, and immediately
decides the Germaine Investigations contains
a half-demon daughter of Nebecar. Not only
that, but shes dedicated to stopping her father

from his efforts to invade and conquer Earth,
and maybe even has the Sons of Nebecar
on her personal radar. She also decides that
sidekicks is run by a retired hero who was
famous 30 years ago, but never quite made
it beyond sidekick status. Hes a good fellow,
who started the nightclub as a way of getting
current young heroes some exposure.
Dylan decides that one of the top scientists
at Quantum Mechanics is Dr. Timothy
Henderson. Hes an expert in cybernetic
development,
and
someone
Dylans
character has helped out a few times in
the past when one super-villain or another
tried to kidnap him or steal his work. Dylan
also decides that the front lobby guard
hes friends with at the Daring Building
was secretly once a street vigilante himself
known as the Silver Eagle, who disappeared
from the public (and vigilante work) over
20 years ago when he got too old to keep
putting his body through it night after night.
The guard, old Henry Weathers, is someone
Dylan imagines his character regularly talks
to and gets advice from.
Putting it all Together

By now, you should know the type of series youre
going to play, as well as the general power and
experience levels of the player-characters. The GM
should have a decent setting basis to expand on,
thanks to the group creating some general locations,
specific locales, and a few people to populate them.
Ideally, the setting basics will also provide some
ties between each other, having already determined
a few broad strokes about the player-characters,
and provide more than a couple of story seeds for
the series.
With that done, now its time to head into the next
chapter, where youll get the concepts, backstory,
and aspects created for the main stars of the series:
the player-characters.
Chapter 4: Character Creation

Welcome back True Believers! Now that youve gone
through the process of choosing the type of series
you want to play, and created something about the
general setting your heroes will populate, now its
time to ramp it up and get to the nuts and bolts of
determining who your heroes actually are. If you
thought series creation was fun, you havent seen
nothin yet. And if you didnt find it fun . . . then youre
probably doing it wrong.
Creating Those
Famous Characters
It is entirely possible to recreate your favorite
characters from Marvel, DC Comics, and other
of your favorite comic book titles out there.
One thing to consider, though, is exactly how
experienced those characters are. Some of
them have been around for a while, and might
have accumulated a few Milestones.
Then, to get them recreated under the Daring
Comics point system, ask yourself the following:
How big of a supporting cast do they have
(as this grants extra skill points)?
How many Rogues in their gallery truly
know their secrets and/or weaknesses (as
this grants extra hero points?
How many points of beginning Refresh
might they have spent?
Not only considering their Milestone
history, but also those three questions, is
absolutely vital to recreating your favorite
comic book characters.
Okay, so what happens now?
In this chapter, youre going to create the fundamentals
of who your character is, why he or she became a
hero, what moments in their past set define them, and
who some of their closest friends and enemies are.
There are six steps to creating your hero. Lets take a
look at each of the steps.
Step One: Character Name

If you havent done it by now, this is when youll choose
your characters costumed and civilian identities.
Step Two: Character Aspects

Your character aspects are one of the primary nuts
and bolts of game play in Daring Comics. During your
stories, these Aspects will be your primary method of
spending fate points on aspect invocations to gain a
+2 to a roll or be able to reroll the dice. Your character
aspects are also where a majority of your aspect
compels will come from, granting you a fate point in
exchange for something about your character adding
a complication to a given scene.
As already discussed, your character aspects, like any
aspect, should be phrased as a double-edged sword.
It should be able to help you in certain situations, or
be used against you. But they should also be fun, and
be descriptive of some part of your character, whether
their basic concept, a flaw in their character or dark
part of their life, something about their powers or
extreme training that makes them more than human,
or even portions of their history or personality.
In Daring Comics , your character will have five
character aspects. Two of them must are mandatory,
while the other three are open for your group to mix
and match however best fits your setting.
Required Character
Aspects
The required character aspects are the two aspects
that every character must possesses. They represent
two core values about your character, and are
absolutely vital to the super-heroic theme of any
Daring Comics story.
Concept
Your Concept aspect is a phrase that sums up what
your character is about who he is and what he does.
Its an aspect, one of the first and most important
ones for your character.
39
Think of this aspect like your job, your role in life, or

your calling its what youre good at, but its also a
duty you have to deal with, and its constantly filled
with problems of its own. That is to say, it comes with
some good and some bad. There are a few different
directions you can take this:
You could take the idea of like your job literally:
Vigilante Detective, Super-Soldier, Billionaire
Playboy, or Crime-fighting Archer.
You could throw on an adjective or other descriptor
to further define the idea: Dark Vigilante Detective,
Patriotic Super-Soldier, Billionaire Playboy Inventor,
or Uncanny Crime-fighting Archer.
You could mash two jobs or roles together that
most people would find odd: Billionaire Playboy
Dark Avenger, Amazonian Warrior Diplomat,
Secret Agent Super-Hero.
You could play off of an important relationship
to your family or an organization youre
deeply involved with (especially if the family or
organization are well-connected or well-known):
Outcast Agent of the Government, Former Hitman
for Gerabaldi, Franchise Hero for VanCorp.
These arent the only ways to play with your concept,
but theyll get you started. But dont stress out over it.
The worst thing you can do is make it into too big of a
deal. Youll come up with four other aspects after this
one, so you dont have to get it all nailed right now.
Keirdwyn wants to play the billionaire heir to
State Industries, one of the worlds leading
developers of advanced computer and robotics
technology. She imagines her hero being in
her 20s, and with some high-tech weapons in
her fight on crime. For her concept, she writes
down Hi-Tech Billionaire Hero
Meanwhile, Xander wants to play the result
of a black book, illegal genetic engineering
program. He was once a petty criminal, but
after all the experimentations and his entire
world being turned inside out, he became a
hero. For his concept, he goes with Secret
Black-Ops Superhuman Experiment.
Motivation
Your Motivation aspect is about why you do what
you do. What drives you to be a super-hero and put
yourself in constant danger to protect innocent lives?
At your core, what pushes you to fight the neverending battle against crime and injustice?
40
Here are a few examples:

No Innocent Will Suffer.
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
If Good Does Nothing, Evil Wins
There is No Justice, Only Punishment
Those are just a few examples, but should serve good
enough to get you thinking about your core reason for
doing what you do.
Keirdwyn, keeping with the rich-kid turned
hero idea, decides that her money and
access to highly advanced technology is
what caused her to become a hero. Her
father, always the philanthropist, raised her to
always help those less fortunate, and never
take the blessings she has for granted. For
her motivation, she writes down: Defend
Those Unable to Defend Themselves.
Xander decides that the agency that
experimented upon him is actually owned
and operated by a power underworld crime
organization. He feels that this is likely what
turned his criminal into a hero, and that the
character has vowed revenge against not only
the crime organization, but against anyone
who would prey on the innocent. He decides
that Extract Revenge Against The Criminal
Underworld is a good motivation.
Contingent Character
Aspects
After you create your Required Character Aspects,
you have three other Contingent Character Aspects
that should be created. These are called contingent
because you are now able to choose three of them
from the options below, or your group can create an
entirely new category that fits into your setting.
Life Changing Event

Life Changing Event covers what it was that
propelled you to become a super-hero in the first
place. What event so profoundly affected your
character that it spurred him along the path to risk
his life against all threats to protect the innocent?
This isnt the same as your Motivation, though there
might be some overlap. Your Motivation is the core
of why you are a hero, the Life Changing Event is
the specific event or circumstances that pushed you
into your chosen path.
Core Value
Core Value is the one thing you will hold on to no
matter what. It is the soul of your character. It might
be that you will never take a life, no matter what; or
that you hold the value of loyalty above all else.
Inner Strength
Inner Strength is the thing that allows you to push
through the most trying times, it allows you to pick
yourself up off the floor even when youre broken or
bloody. Its what stops you from ever giving up, even
when the chips are entirely stacked against you. It
could be a memory of someone, a desire to always
adhere to a certain code, or maybe even a faith in

some greater power.
Inner Demons
Your Inner Demons aspect is something that nips at
your heals throughout most days or nights. Although
it can work to try to bring you down, it can, in the
right circumstances, also provide you with a sense of
strength to keep going. It might be a tragic event that
still haunts you maybe even one you blame yourself
for, it might be memories of a time when you were in
great pain and betrayed something you still believe
in, or it could be a traumatic childhood memory.
Flaw
Flaw is the complication that
defines your life, whether its an
inability to get close to others,
having to juggle family and a
secret life as a super-hero, a
dark side to your personality
that causes you no end of
complications, or some other
type of problem that will plague
you at inopportune moments
throughout the series.
Dark Secret
A Dark Secret is something from
your past that, if discovered,
could hurt your relationship with
friends or family, or even damage
(if not destroy) your super-heroic
career. It might be a previous
life as a criminal, the murdered
of someone you could have
easily brought into custody, or
even an affiliation with a power
organization that isnt out for the
benefit of mankind.
Relationships
If you have any special
Relationships, create an aspect
for them. These do not have
to be the same people as your
Supporting Cast, though they
could be. Most invocations of
the aspect will involve those
relationships somehow providing
assistance, or even giving you
the inner strength to complete a
41
task. Likewise, compels against this aspect will likely

mean the relationship has caused a complication
in some way, and one that could set you and your
super-team back at least a little bit.
is going to hit you where it hurts, or cost you a fate

point to resist it, at no cost to himself. And if you
spend a fate point to resist such a compel, the rogue
directly gets it to use against you.
Personal Belief
Keep in mind that although you, the player, created

a few aspects for your rogue, your character does
not know those aspects until they are actually
discovered in play. The point is to only give you
players a hand in creating the rogues gallery for your
characters. Of course, if your character creation
phases suggested you encountered a particular main
villain previously and an obvious aspect might have
been discovered, then the player and GM should
work out if the character knows anything about the
NPCs aspects. If so, we suggest the character not
know more than one of the NPCs aspects.
The Personal Belief aspect represents something

that you believe in so strongly, it not only complicates
your life at times, but can also be used to guide you
through troubling situations. It might be a steadfast
belief in the legal system, a strong belief in the
foundations of America, or even the fact that youre
still, deep down, a devout Catholic.
Step Three: Supporting

Cast and Rogues Gallery
Anyway, it is recommended you create no more than

three supporting cast members, and two rogues.
This is where you will create a few members of your

supporting cast and rogues gallery, which will directly
affect the rest of your character creation.
Step Four: Skills
Each supporting cast member you create (think Aunt

May, Alfred, Lois Lane, Pepper Potts, and so forth
from Marvel and DC Comics) gives you +1 skill point
for Step Four.
Once youve created your backstory and chosen

your five aspects, and after youve determined some
supporting cast members and a beginning Rogues
Gallery, youll then spend those skill points you
received based on your Experience Level from the
skill list in the next chapter. We wont cover that step
too much in this chapter, since the chapter on Skills
goes into all the details.
Youll create one or two aspects for each member of

your supporting cast. Either you can work with the GM
to assign any relevant skills, or the GM can add them
as needed during play. The point is, your supporting
cast, as in any typical super-hero comic, are there
to not only ground you, but to provide some story
complications. As far as Mechanics go, each character
you create during this step is treated like a Supporting
NPC (see: Chapter 13: Running the Game).
For your Rogues Gallery you will create two or three
aspects per rogue (the GM will secretly create the
rest). These guys are your enemies, and are going to
be Named NPCs capable of challenging you at every
turn. Your GM will give them their skills, stunts, and
powers however he needs in order to provide such a
challenge. Each member of your beginning Rogues
Gallery provides you with 1 free Hero Point. After all,
these villains are out to get you, personally.
Wait a minute! Thats a nice bonus. Well, yeah, it is,
but theres a reason. For one, the rogue is going to
be a direct challenge to your character in ability. For
two, since he is your rogue, he automatically knows
one of your aspects, and once per issue when he is in
some way opposing you, he gets to use that aspect
against you at no fate point cost. So, either that rogue
42
Step Five: Spend Hero Points

As soon as you have your skills chosen, you get
to then move on to spending the Hero Points you
received based on the Series Level. With the Hero
Points, youll purchase any Stunts for your skills, as
well as your powers or gadgets.
Like with Step Three, this chapter wont go into detail
on this step, since both the Stunts and the Powers
chapters explain how to spend the points on those
portions of your character.
If you run out of Hero Points and still need more
powers or stunts for your character, you must spend
it from your Refresh. A single Hero Point costs one
Refresh. Your Refresh may never go below 1.
Step Six: Finishing Up

Finally, youll determine how many physical and
mental stress boxes your hero gets, how many
Consequence slots of each type, and get any gear

you might be due.

Determine how much
character can take.
of
beating
your
When Daring Comics characters find themselves in

harms way, they have two ways to stand their ground
and stay on their feet: stress and consequences.
The Conflicts section of Chapter 12: Comic Book
Action chapter fully explains what these mean
and how theyre used. In brief, stress represents
the ephemeral toll of participating in a conflict,
whereas consequences are the lingering effects, and
sometimes quite traumatic ones, of taking harm.
Every PC has two different stress tracks. The
physical stress track deals with physical harm, and
the mental stress track mitigates mental harm. The
more boxes in a stress track, the more resilient the
character is in that regard. By default, a character the
number of stress boxes given by the Series Tone.
Every PC also has three consequence slots. One
is mild, one is moderate, and the last one is severe.
Unlike stress, these arent classified as either
physical or mental any of them can apply to any
type of harm. As mentioned above, consequences
are the injuries and traumas you cant just shake off
after the dust settles.
Certain skills and some stunts can add to these
defaults. See the respective chapters for more on that.
For the sake of quick reference, these are the skills in
Daring Comics that alter stress and consequences:
Other Types of Stress

You can add stress tracks if the characters in
your game suffer unique kinds of harm, such
as wealth stress in a series where the heroes
are all also rich or corporate owners, or even a
Spiritual track if you want to track mystic stress
differently than psychic and mental stress.
Youre All Set!

At the end of this process, you should have a
character with:
A name
Five aspects, along with some backstory
A completed Skill Column
Your beginning Hero Points worth of Stunts
and Powers
A mental and physical stress track
A refresh rate of at least 1 fate point
Quick Character Creation

If you want to skip making a detailed character and
just want to play, you can leave most of the character
blank and fill in as you play. For details on how to do
this, see the Pick-Up Game variant in the Appendix:
Turning the Dials, and also pay attention to the PickUp Style for Beginning a Series boxed text.
Physique helps with physical stress, and Will helps

with mental stress. Either skill grants one more stress
box of the respective type (physical or mental) if rated
at Average (+1) or Fair (+2), or two more stress boxes if
rated at Good (+3) or higher. At Superb (+5) or higher,
they also grant an additional mild consequence
slot. Unlike the standard three, this consequence
slot is specifically restricted to either physical harm
(Physique) or mental harm (Will).
The number of Stress boxes and consequence slots
that a character has is also increased through the
Hardiness super-power.
43
Chapter 5: Complications
A complication is a negative effect on your character
that isnt easily handled by an aspect. By their very
nature, an aspect, even one that goes along with a
character flaw or a dark secret from the past, should
be a double-edged sword. It should both be able to be
invoked to assist the character in certain situations,
and it should be able to be compelled to complicate
the characters life.
Complications, on the other hand, are those things
that exist only to hinder you. They cannot be invoked
to your benefit. In that way, they
arent the same as aspects.
There
are
two
types
of
complications:
character
and
power. Well, actually, there are
other types as well, such as SuperTeam Complications and Devices;
but theyre handled in the SuperTeam and Devices and Gear
chapters, respectively. For now,
were only going to discuss the two
types that affect your character on
a personal level.
Complications
vs Aspects
In some of the example ideas
below, you will no doubt see that
there could be some overlap on
whether something should be a
complication or an aspect. And
indeed, in some cases the decision
could go either way. Take things like
Disability or Temper, for example.
Both can just as easily be one of
your character aspects instead.
The key to remember is that if it
is something you want to both
help and hinder your character,
then make it an aspect. But if its
something you only want to hinder
your character with absolutely no
narrative or mechanical benefit,
then make it a complication.
44
Aspects must work both ways. Complications only

work against you.
Character Complications
A character complication is tied into your character
as a whole, and is not dependent on any super-power
or power set. It defines a hindrance to your character
that can only be brought into play to cause them
some type of harm or setback.
Below are a few examples of character complications.

Its by no means meant to be an exhaustive list, and
you should feel free to create any complications
needed for your series.
Addiction: Youre addicted to some type of substance,
most typically alcohol or some type of drug. This
complication could come into play when your use
of the substance (i.e. youre drunk or high) can be a
reason to complicate a scene, or the inability to get
the substance causes you some sort of setback.
Disability: Are you deaf? Blind? In a wheelchair?
Missing a limb? Whatever the nature of your disability,
it can come into play at seriously inopportune times
to hinder you. Otherwise, the disability is there, but
doesnt directly cause you any problems.
Fame/Reputation: Your character is either very well
known in a positive light, or has a dark reputation
attached to him. When he comes into play, it might
complicate a scene by having you slowed down by
fans or the media, or even have law enforcement
misinterpret your intentions.
Identity: This type of complication assumes your
character has either a secret identity, or a completely
different alter ego he must change into. Such a
complication comes into play in a scene where not
being able to change identities causes either some
type of harm to your character, or causes a setback
in the goals hes trying to achieve. For example, being
in your secret civilian identity at a public function as
armed thugs are stealing a dangerous or expensive
object would count as the complication coming into
play. The criminal element you are facing is getting
a step ahead because youre bound by maintaining
your secret in the scene.
Likewise, being captured and beaten by the enemy
and somehow being unable to transform into your
super-powered alter ego, thereby suffering some
type of (albeit minor) harm, would count as the
complication coming into play.
Phobia: Youre deathly afraid of some type of animal,
insect, situation, or object. The most obvious outcome
of this complication coming into play would be having
your character freeze-up, or even flee in fear.
Secret: What secrets from your past might come
back to haunt you in the present day? What have
you done that could dismantle everything youre
fighting for? When this complication comes into play,
it doesnt necessarily mean that the secret is that
revealed, but rather that the secret is threatening to
come to light unless you take measures (usually also

secretive) to stop it.
Temper: While some heroes are known to have a
Berserker Rage that gives them an upper hand in
fights (and should be represented by an aspect),
when tempers comes into play it really messes up
a scene for you. It might be that you just blew all
chances to get needed information or assistance, or
even a mechanical function such as +2 to Create an
Advantage action by people attempting to use your
rage against you.
Vulnerability: Youre vulnerable to some type of
element or substance. Typically, this will result in an
attack against your character by the substance or
an increase to damage when attacked by a weapon
utilizing the element or substance. Here are a few
ideas on how to handle it:
Exposure to the element (typically being in the
same zone) causes 2-Stress per minute.
Being attacked with a weapon composed of the
element causes 2-Shifts of additional damage.
Being in the same zone as the element causes
an attack against Physique or Will each round,
with the element having an attacking skill of Fair
(+2).
Weakness: This type of complication means that you
have a specific need for something, and without it you
become weaker in some way. It could be the need to
submerge yourself in water every so often, a need to
drink blood, or even a need to absorb solar energy.
Without it, actions become more and more difficult.
As a general rule of thumb, when this complication
is brought into play, the character should take a
consequence every hour or so until the weakness
is resolved. Once the character does whatever he
needs to do to resolve the situation, the consequence
is automatically healed.
Power Complications
Although the powers chapter deals with limits to
powers, the very nature of limits means that they are
always on and always hinder the power in some way.
A power complication, by comparison, only comes
into play when you or the GM calls for it.
Device or Gear: Yes, this is optional. Not every series
will want to deal with devices or gear being able to
run out of ammunition or deplete a power source. If it
45
fits your series, perhaps because of a military or spy

theme, then use this complication. When it comes
into play, the device or piece of gear (such as a normal
gun) is shut down via whatever method makes sense.
It might be the devices power cell ran out of juice, or
that the gun ran out of bullets. Whatever the cause,
it is operational again once the current scene is over.
immediately or gradually. Talk it over with the GM or

other players when taking this complication
Ineffective Against Something: One or more of

your powers are ineffective against something that,
while you might not commonly encounter it, has been
known to show up against you at inopportune times.
It might be a certain type of substance, a color, or
even an emotional state.
Bringing a Complication
into Play
Power Loss: Being near a certain object, substance,

or element causes your powers to diminish. As a rule
of thumb, consider something like 1 Power Level every
minute. Those powers without more than one level are
immediately shutdown at the end of that first minute.
You might even consider a reduction in the Controlling
skill instead, lowering it one step on the ladder until it
reaches a minimum of Terrible (-2).
Being removed from the vicinity of whatever is
causing the loss of your powers can have them return
46
Recharge: Some or all of your powers need to be

recharged sporadically. When this comes into play,
your powers might suffer increased opposition up to
a maximum increase, and are then effectively shut
down until you resolve the need.
So what happens when a complication is brought

into play? Well, whenever a complication is first
brought into play in a scene, the player immediately
earns a fate point. Pay attention to the bolded text,
because for those complications that may hinder a
character repeatedly or continuously throughout a
scene, the player still only earns a single fate point.
But yes, if the complication is going to last more than
one scene, than the player earns another fate point
for each additional scene.
Rejecting a Complication
Unlike compelling an aspect, a player cannot
reject a complication coming into play simply by
spending a fate point each time. As a matter of
fact, a player cannot buy off a complication being
brought into play.
Likewise, GMs, dont abuse a characters
complications especially those that have normal
gear (with bullets and such). The idea is that a
complication comes into the story only occasionally,
and when it does, it has a dramatic reason for doing
so. If youre going to constantly use the complication
against the player, then give them back a Hero Point
or two as if it was a power limit (whether or not the
complication affects their powers). Limits refund points
because they are always in play. Complications grant
fate points because they are meant to occasionally
add drama to the series.
Example Complications
Below are a few examples to show you how some
complications might be built in Daring Comics. You
should recognize them right off the bat, since we
used popular instances from comic books and filed
off the serial numbers.
Vulnerability
(Element-X Sickness)
When in the same zone as Element-X, make an attack
with a skill of Fair (+2) against passive opposition
equal to the characters Physique.
Vulnerability
(Element-X Weapon)
If youve not recharged within one hour after reaching

the +4 maximum, your powers are shut down until
you spend at least an hour absorbing solar energy.
Device (Out of Ammo)

At an inopportune time, [power or weapon name]
is out of ammo, effectively shutting it down for the
rest of the scene.
Weakness (Dehydration)
Suffer a Consequence every hour, beginning with
a Mild Consequence, until you spend at least an
hour fully submerged in water. Once you rehydrate
yourself, all related consequences are removed.
Final Advice: Building

Your Complication
As you can see from this chapter, building your
complication is more of a narrative feature than a
hard and fast rule. The core rule of thumb to keep
in mind is to make sure the complication warrants
a fate point, that it accomplishes what you want to
say concerning that part of your character, and that it
cannot be used to your characters benefit. Be careful
not to make it too restrictive to your character, unless
of course that is the fun effect youre going for.
Remember, too, that complications are completely
optional. You do not have to take any for your character
if it doesnt fit your concept. Theyre only there to
handle some of the things we see in comics that dont
work quite as well as aspects or power limits.
Weapon causes +2-hits of damage and ignores all

levels of Invulnerability.
Power Loss (Element-X)

All powers are reduced by 2 levels when in the
same zone as Element-X. Those with less than 2
levels are shutdown.
Recharge (Solar
Absorption)
If you go too long without absorbing solar energy,
you become weakened. All rolls involving the use of
a power suffer a +2 to active or passive opposition,
and increase by +1 every hour to a maximum of +4.
47
Chapter 6: Super Teams

Extraordinary beings in comic books often form
unique groups with other super-powered individuals,
all working together for a common cause or goal.
Super teams are as much a staple of the genre as
flashy powers and strange attire.
In Daring Comics, super teams are more than just a
cool name and a central base of operations. The super
team you create will have its own aspects and stunts.
Of course, just because you form a team of likeminded and goal oriented individuals doesnt mean
you have to employ the super team mechanics. Its
completely optional, and totally up to you whether or
not it fits the tone of your series.
Super-Team Resources
A super-teams financial power is equal to
the highest Resource skill rating of the playercharacters. You may also create your own
Team Stunts, representing private investors
and backers contributing to your superheroic exploits, to offer additional benefits
or roll bonuses in certain situations to team
Resource kill rolls.
Step One: Super Team Name

Although we probably dont have to state it, were
going to anyway: the first thing you should do is
determine what to call your little band of crimefighters. Come up with something cool, because its
going to be the name youll be best known by.
Step Two: Super Team Aspects

Your super team is going to have two aspects. Like
with all aspects in Daring Comics, they should be able
to assist you in certain situations, as well as hinder
you in some narrative ways. Unlike character aspects,
which are always with you, the super team aspects
act more like a hybrid of a character and situation
aspect. Although they are always there for roleplaying
purposes, they are only in play mechanically when
48
the GM places them in a scene, or you bring them

into a scene through a Create an Advantage action.
Charter
Your Charter aspect represents the core reason for
your team charter. The aspect should basically say
something about why the team formed in the first
place i.e. the purpose for its existence.
The group decides to officially form a super
team known as the Sentinels of Society.
For their charter, they decide upon: United
Nations Global Response Team.
The aspect can be used both to assist them
in trouble situations, as well as to hinder
them. For example, when something bad has
happened, people have been injured or killed,
and the Sentinels of Society were somehow
involved in the scene, they could be restricted
by, or even called in for testimony before, the
U.N. Security Council. The Aspect could also
be compelled depending upon story plots,
such as one of the Security Council members
having an axe to grind against the team.
Friction
No group of superhumans is going to get together
and there not be problems. There are simply too many
personalities, methods of operation, and personal
philosophies in the mix. This aspect should represent
some friction within the team. It could be a conflict
of personalities, discipline versus showmanship, or
even financial troubles.
If you get stuck, look to each members character
aspects, and see if any jump out as possible conflict
with those of other characters.
The Sentinels of Society is made up of a
group of heroes with differing opinions on
how far the fight against villainy should go. A
few members believe strongly in the criminal
justice system and that their enemies should
be apprehended and brought to justice.
Meanwhile, one or two others feel that there
are certain situations where killing is not only
justified, its necessary.
The group decides to create the aspect:

Tension on What Lines Should be Crossed.
The aspect can be invoked when those
differing points of view might be brought to
bear to either throw off an enemy, or combine
different philosophies into a stronger whole.
Likewise, compels are a relatively simple affair,
and would easily come into a scene when
those differing philosophies hinder the groups
performance.
Step Three: Rogues Gallery

In this stage, you can (if you want) create up to three
members of a team-wide Rogues Gallery, each of
which will be a Named NPC capable of taking on at
least half the team, if not all of it. Create one or two
aspects for each rogue, but only the GM can create
the two Required Aspects.
On the worksheet, outline or detail the teams
encounter with the rogue, how many times theyve
fought, and any specific history or special dynamics
the villain might have with the team (for example, the
villain was once a close friend of a team member
before things went wrong).
Create a couple of details about the rogue. This can
be the costume, known powers or weaknesses, and
even a couple of skills that the team might know they
possess. Again, the GM is going to fill-in the blanks
and create the rest of the rogue.
For each rogue, you gain an additional Team Stunt.
Step Four: Team Stunts

The final step is purchasing your team stunts. You
choose one team stunt for each player-character in
your group, plus another for each team rogue youve
created. So, a team with four player-characters can
choose four team stunts, while a team with four
player-characters and two rogues can purchase six
stunts. It really doesnt matter how the stunts are
chosen, as long as the group is in agreement.
Just like with character stunts, we provide some
ready-made examples. Youre encouraged to use
the normal Stunt Creation rules to make your own,
unique stunts (for how to create your own stunts, see
Chapter 8: Stunts).
Heroes Assemble
The team has trained intensively on how to work
together and assist one another in the field. Once per
scene, each team member receives an additional +1
bonus when invoking a situation aspect created by
another teammate. This is a flat +1 bonus and is only
used once per member, even if the aspect in question
is invoked twice by the same character due to having
two free invocations attached to it (or twice by using
a free invocation and then invoking again for a fate
point).
United We Stand
(Requires Heroes Assemble)
The Heroes Assemble Stunt can now be used twice
per scene by each team member.
Brotherhood
(Requires United We Stand)
The team is so cohesive that they instinctively aid one
another in the field. At the beginning of each session,
the team has a pool of fate points equal to half the
number of player character members (round up). The
pool resets each session, and cannot be increased.
Iconic
The heroes have battled crime and saved the world
on many occasions. As a result, the respect they gain
from the public, media, and authorities gives them +2
to Rapport rolls when using the Create an Advantage
action at social functions, such as a press conference,
charity gathering, and so forth.
Media Liaison
The team has someone whose sole purpose is
to handle the teams media coverage and public
image. Whenever the team must attempt to remove
a Collateral Damage Consequence that involves the
public, such as a battle that destroyed part of the city,
they receive +2 to the roll.
Public Relations Specialist

(Requires Media Liaison)
The teams media relations management is
so experienced that Mild Collateral Damage
Consequences are automatically removed at the end
of the scene.
49
Reserve Member
Each time this stunt is taken, the team has a reserve
member on its roster. The member is considered a
Supporting Character (see: Running the Game) and
can be created by either the players or the GM.
Once per issue, any team member can spend a fate
point to call a reserve member to the scene. The
reserve member sticks around as long as it makes
narrative sense.
Signature Fast Ball

The team has practiced the Fast Ball maneuver
(See: Combat & Tactics) to the point that it is almost
second nature. The throwing character receives +2 to
the Accuracy roll.
Team Base
The same as the Personal Headquarters stunt, your
team has a base of operations. Each time this stunt is
taken, the team gains 10 Headquarter points.
Taken Out or Concedes a conflict, the remaining team

members in the scene each gain a Boost to represent
their intensified determination to win the fight.
Ultimate Vengeance
(Requires Vengeance)
The determination of the team when a member falls
is uncanny. Once per scene when a member is Taken
Out or Concedes a conflict, the remaining members
in the scene may immediately clear 2-Stress or a Mild
Consequence slot.
Step Five: Complications

This step is entirely optional. It allows you to choose
a complication or two for the team. Whenever the
complication is brought into a scene, each team
member it affects immediately gains a fate point.
Below are a few sample complications, but you
should really create your own for the team.
Vengeance
Corporate Investor
The team understands what it means to be a unit.

As a result, once per scene when a team member is
The team has the backing of a corporate entity. The

corporation can call upon the team to perform tasks
50
or missions at their request. Failure for the team to

follow orders should result in the Corporate Investor
using whatever resources it needs to make sure the
team knows that they have little choice in the matter
the next time theyre called upon.
Dark Secret
The team has committed some act, either as a group
or due to one of its members, that if publicly known
would potentially end their careers. The nature of the
secret must be determined when this complication is
chosen.
Bringing the complication into the scene should
usually involve discovering that someone knows the
nature of the secret quite possibly because theyre
blackmailing the team with the knowledge.
Media Animosity
The team has made an enemy either in the media, or
with strong media contacts and influences. Typically,
the media organization in question will attempt to
sway public opinion against the heroes. Exactly
what form this takes will depend on the nature of
your game. It might result in the Opposition to clear
Collateral Damage Consequences increasing by +1,
a negative impact on Rapport with the media, and so
forth.
Unwanted Attention
The team has gained an unwanted fan, a pain-inthe-rear reporter, or some other NPC that is always
following them around, showing up at the most
inopportune moments and risking injury, and generally
causing the team no end of problems.
Improving Your Super Team

Improving a super team over time, however, is no
easy task. Theres a lot of coordination, time, and
dedication involved.
Whenever you get an additional Hero Point due to a
Major Milestone (see: Advancing the Series), instead
of spending it on your character, you can spend it
on advancing the team by purchasing a new stunt.
Basically, it represents that you are putting aside your
individual needs in exchange for focusing on making
the entire team better.
Turning the Dials

Your super team doesnt have to end here. In
Appendix: Turning the Dials, we provide more
options for your team; such as how to create a
team with more members than just your own playergroup, including super team skills, stress tracks, and
consequences representing your expanded roster.
Then we tell you how to use those skills, stress
boxes, and consequence slots to run the team as
its own character, off on a different adventure in the
background, while your player-characters are the
stars of their series.
In other words, how to create a super-team of dozens
of heroes like some of the mega-teams from popular
comic books, and how to represent their exploits
during your game without taking the focus away from
your own stories. Including how those side adventures
affect your player-group during the series.
51
Chapter 7: Skills
A skill describes a broad family of competency at
something (such as Athletics, Fight, or Deceive),
which your character might have gained through
innate talent, training, or years of trial and error. Skills
are the basis for everything your character actually
does in the game that involves challenge and chance
several star systems
Skills are rated on the adjective ladder. The higher the

rating, the better your character is at the skill. Taken
together, your list of skills gives you a picture of that
characters potential for action at a glance what
youre best at, what youre okay at, and what youre
not so good at.
Inconceivable (+12): Your skill is recognized on a

multiversal scale
Skills are defined in two ways: What game actions

that you can do with them, and the context in which
you can use them. There are only a handful of basic
game actions, but the number of potential contexts
is infinite.
Skill Benchmarks
Sometimes, a descriptive word and number on a
ratings ladder isnt enough to get a feel for how good
your character is at a particular skill. The following
benchmarks further breakdown the ladder, giving
you a clearer picture of what a particular skill rating
means.
Mediocre (+0): Untrained
Average (+1): Minimal training
Fair (+2): Formal training
Good (+3): Advanced training
Great (+4): An expert in the field
Superb (+5): One of the foremost experts in a large
nation
Colossal (+10): You are one of the best within the

galaxy
Unearthly (+11): Your prowess is known across the
universe
Purchasing Skills
The Series Creation chapter provided you with a
number of beginning skill points based upon the
experience level you chose for your character
(modified by any supporting cast members you
created).
Your skills form a column, and cannot go above
Fantastic (+6) rating. Each skill rating beginning at
Fair (+2) must have at least the same number of skills
as the rating below it (not counting Mediocre (+0).
For example, at 40 skill points your column
could look like this:
Fantastic (+6): o
Superb (+5): oo
Great (+4) : oo
Good (+3): oo
Fair (+2): ooo
Average (+1): oooo
Or
Superb (+5): oo
Great (+4) : oo
Fantastic (+6): One of the foremost experts in the

world
Good (+3): ooo
Epic (+7): Your prowess is recognized as the worlds

authority on the skill
Average (+1): ooooo
Legendary (+8): Beyond what is normally expected

on earth
Monstrous (+9): You are one of the best within
52
Fair (+2): oooo
But could not be built as follows because

there would be more skills at Good (+3) than
at Fair (+2)
Good (+3): oooo
Fair (+2): ooo
Average (+1): ooooo
Sample Skill Columns

For quick and easy skill column construction, feel
free to choose one of the options below based on the
number of skill points you received, and simply fill in
the appropriate number of skills for each rating.
There 24 skills available in Daring Comics, and as the
example skill columns show, its near impossible for
a single hero to begin with a skill at the Skill Cap,
and still have all of the skills available at a rating of
Average (+1) or above. Even those who have their
peak skill below the skill cap will still possess a few
skills at Mediocre (+0) rating. This is done on purpose,
so even characters with overlap in skills between
them will still have skills only they possess, or ratings
greater than their teammates. In any comic book,
every hero should eventually have their moment to
shine.
45 skills points
Fantastic (+6): 2 skills
Superb (+5): 2 skills
Great (+4): 2 skills
Good (+3): 2 skills
Fair (+2): 3 skills
Average (+1): 3 skills
Total: 14 skills
Fantastic (+6): 1 skill

Good (+3): 3 skills
Fair (+2): 4 skills
Total: 16 skills

Good (+3): 3 skills
Fair (+2): 4 skills
Total: 18 skills
Superb (+5): 1 skill
Good (+3): 3 skills
Fair (+2): 6 skills
Total: 20 skills
40 skills points
Fantastic (+6): 1 skill
Good (+3): 2 skills
Fair (+2): 3 skills

Total: 14 skills
Good (+3): 3 skills
Fair (+2): 4 skills
Total: 16 skills

Good (+3): 4 skills
Fair (+2): 4 skills
Total: 18 skills

Good (+3): 4 skills
Fair (+2): 6 skills
Total: 20 skills
35 skills points
Good (+3): 2 skills
Fair (+2): 3 skills
Total: 14 skills

53
Good (+3): 3 skills

Fair (+2): 4 skills
Total: 16 skills

Good (+3): 3 skills
Fair (+2): 3 skills
Total: 18 skills

Good (+3): 3 skills
Fair (+2): 3 skills
Total: 20 skills
30 skills points
Great (+4): 1 skill

Good (+3): 3 skills
Fair (+2): 3 skills
Total: 13 skills
Good (+3): 3 skills

Fair (+2): 3 skills
Total: 16 skills
Good (+3): 2 skills

Fair (+2): 3 skills
Total: 18 skills
The Basic Game Actions

Good (+3): 2 skills
Fair (+2): 3 skills
We cover these in more detail in Chapter 11: Actions

and Outcomes, but heres a quick reference so that
skills make sense to you right now.

Good (+3): 3 skills
Fair (+2): 3 skills
Create an Advantage: Whether youre discovering

something that already exists about an opponent or
creating a situation that helps you succeed, creating
advantages allows you to discover and create
aspects, and lets you get free invocations of them.
Total: 13 skills
Total: 15 skills
Great (+4): 1 skill

Good (+3): 3 skills
Fair (+2): 4 skills
Total: 17 skills
Good (+3): 3 skills

Fair (+2): 4 skills
Total: 20 skills
25 skills points
Great (+4): 1 skill
Good (+3): 2 skills
Fair (+2): 3 skills
Total: 11 skills
54
Overcome: True to its name, you tackle some kind

of challenge, engaging task, or hindrance related to
your skill.
Attack: You try to harm someone in a conflict. That

harm may be physical, mental, emotional, or social in
nature.
Defend: You try to keep someone from harming you,
getting past you, or creating an advantage to use
against you.
There are also some special effects that some skills
perform, such the Physique and Will skills giving you
additional stress boxes.
Even though there are only four actions that all skills
adhere to, the skill in question lends context to the
action. For example, both Thief and Rapport allow you
to Create an Advantage, but only under very different
contexts. Thief allows you to do it when youre casing
a place youre about to break into, and Rapport when
you are trying to affect someones reaction to you.
The different skills let you differentiate the heroes
abilities from one another a bit, allowing each person
to have a unique contribution to the game.
Accuracy
Accuracy is the skill for making ranged attacks,
whether with a weapon or power, or throwing things
and hitting your mark.
Overcome: Unless, for some reason, you need to
demonstrate your Accuracy ability in a non-conflict
situation, you probably wont be using this skill for
normal obstacles much.
Create an Advantage: In physical conflicts, Accuracy
can be used to perform a wide variety of moves, like
trick shots, keeping someone under heavy fire, and
even disarming them from a distance pretty much
anything youve seen in comic books. You could also
make the argument for creating aspects based on
your knowledge of ranged weapons (like placing a
Prone to Jams aspect on an opponents gun).
Attack: This skill makes physical attacks, and you
can make them at a distance as listed under the
specific category of gun or type of power.
Defend: Accuracy is unique in that it doesnt really
have a defense component to it youd use Athletics
for that. You could use it to lay down some covering
fire, which might act as a defense for your allies or
provide opposition to someone elses movement.
That could just as easily be represented by using
Create and Advantage, such as Covering Fire or Hail
of Bullets.
Arcanum
Arcanum is the skill if your character is in tune with
the mysteries of the mystic world. From knowing
of extradimensional entities, to knowing about the
dark things that exist just to the side of mans sight,
to understanding ancient rituals involving blood and
sinew, its the general knowledge skill for things
beyond the mundane.
Overcome: You can use Arcanum to overcome
any obstacle that requires applying your characters
mystical knowledge to achieve a goal. For example,
you might roll Arcanum to decipher some ancient
language in an old tome, under the presumption that
your character might have researched it at some
point. Basically, you can use Arcanum as a go-to skill
for arcane knowledge any time you need to know if
your character can answer a difficult question, where
some tension exists in not knowing the answer.
Youll also use Arcanum against the opposition in rolls

to create rituals.
Create an Advantage: Arcanum provides a lot of
very flexible opportunities to create advantages,
provided you can research the subject in question.
More often than not, youll be using Arcanum to get a
story detail, some obscure bit of information that you
uncover or know already, but if that information gives
you an edge in a future scene, it might take the form
of an aspect. Likewise, you can use the skill to create
advantages based on any arcane subject matter your
character might have studied, which gives you a fun
way to add details to the setting. Plus, youll likely
be using Arcanum to create aspects to assist you in
ritual casting.
Attack: Arcanum isnt used in conflict.
Defend: You wont use it to Defend.
Artificing
Artificing is used to create and destroy mystical
artifacts, whether for good or ill, presuming you
have the time and tools you need. It does for arcane
artifacts what the Technology skill does for mundane
and super-science devices.
Overcome: Crafts allows you to build, break, or fix
mystic artifacts, presuming you have the time and
tools you need. Often, actions with Artificing happen
as one component of a more complex situation,
making it a popular skill for challenges.
Create an Advantage: You can use Artificing to
create aspects representing features of a mystic
object, such as an amulet or ancient artifact, pointing
out useful features or strengths you can use to your
advantage (Nexus of Great Power) or vulnerability
for you to exploit (It Hungers for Souls, or Crack in
the Crystal).
Attack: You generally wont use Artificing to attack,
as any artifact you create will usually use one of the
normal attack skills.
Defend: Like with an attack action, you generally
wont use Artificing to Defend.
Athletics
The Athletics skill represents your characters general
level of physical fitness, whether through training,
natural gifts, mutation, or accident. Its how good you
55
are at moving your body.

Overcome: Athletics allows you
to overcome any obstacle that
requires physical movement
jumping, running, climbing,
swimming, etc. If it resembles
something youd do in the
decathlon, you roll Athletics.
You use overcome actions with
Athletics to move between
zones in a conflict if theres
a situation aspect or other
obstacle in your way. You also
roll Athletics to chase or race in
any contests or challenges that
rely on these types of activities.
Create an Advantage: When
youre creating an advantage
with Athletics, youre jumping
to high ground, running faster
than the opponent can keep
up with, or performing dazzling
acrobatic maneuvers in order to
confound your foes.
Attack: Athletics is not meant
as an attack skill.
Defend: Athletics is what you
would normally use to Defend
against ranged attacks. You can
also use it to defend against
characters trying to move past
you, if youre in a position
to physically interfere with
whoevers making the attempt.
Contacts
Contacts is the skill of knowing and making
connections with people, whether on the street, in
law enforcement and government agencies, or in the
board room.
Overcome: You use Contacts to overcome any
obstacle related to finding someone you need to find.
Whether thats old-fashioned man on the street
type of work, polling your information network, or
searching archives and computer databases, youre
able to hunt down people or somehow get access to
them.
Create an Advantage: Contacts allows you to know
who the perfect person to talk to is for anything you
56
might need, or to decide that you know the perfect

person already. Its likely that youll create story
details with this skill, represented by aspects. (Hey,
guys, my contacts tell me that John Irons is the Best
Mechanic For A Thousand Miles we should talk
to him.)
You can also create an advantage that represents what
the word on the street is about a particular individual,
object, or location, based on what your contacts
tell you. These aspects almost always deal with
reputation more than fact, such as A Man Without
Fear or Kingpin of Crime. Whether that person lives
up to their reputation is anybodys guess, though that
doesnt invalidate the aspectpeople often have

misleading reputations that complicate their lives.
Contacts could also be used to create aspects that
represent using your information network to plant or
acquire information.
Attack: Contacts isnt used for attacks; its hard to
harm someone simply by knowing people.
Defend: Contacts can be used to defend against
people creating social advantages against you,
provided your information network can be brought to
bear in the situation. You might also use it to keep
someone from using Deceive or Contacts to go off
the grid, or to interfere with Investigate attempts to
find you.
Controlling Skill
(Magic/Mental/Power)
A special set of skills used only in the control of certain
super-powers, which skill you choose depends on
the source of your powers. Arcane powers use the
Magic skill, while psychic powers use Mental. If your
powers are more traditional in nature (such as from a
mutation, accident of birth, or is contained within a
piece of technology), youll use Power.
The skill doesnt have to be taken individually for
each super-power it applies to (though it can be, if
you really want to differentiate your capabilities with
different powers). Simply add the appropriate skill
to your Skill Column, and it applies to all relevant
powers.
Overcome: Whether or not the skill can be used to
overcome obstacles will depend on the nature of the
power involved. Very few powers, however, cannot
be used this way, so youll likely find a lot of use for
the skill.
Create an Advantage: Some powers offers a bonus
to creating advantages in a scene. Typically, though,
this skill is useful for setting up situation aspects as
long as you can narrate how the specific super-power
applies.
Attack: Usually, these skills are not used for attack,
but its really determined by the powers description.
Defend: Again, whether or not the skill applies to
Defend actions will depend on the powers description.
Deceive
Deceive is the skill about lying to and misdirecting
people, whether verbally or through disguises.
Overcome: Use Deceive to bluff your way past
someone, or to get someone to believe a lie, or to
get something out of someone because they believe
in one of your lies. For nameless NPCs, this is just an
overcome roll, but for PCs or named NPCs, it requires
a contest, and the target opposes with Empathy.
Winning this contest could justify placing a situation
aspect on your target, if buying into your lie could
help you in a future scene.
You can also use Deceive to do small tricks of sleightof-hand and misdirection.
Create an Advantage: Use Deceive to create
momentary distractions, cover stories, or false
impressions. You could feint in a swordfight, putting
an opponent Off-Balance and setting you up for an
attack. You could do the whole, Whats that over
there! trick to give you a Head Start when you run
away. You could establish a Tough Street Guy cover
story for when you attempt to infiltrate a criminal
hangout (for instance, as part of an investigation).
You could trick someone into revealing one of their
aspects or other information.
Attack: Deceive is an indirect skill that creates a lot
of opportunities you can capitalize on, but it doesnt
do direct harm to an individual.
Defend: You can use Deceive to throw off Investigation
attempts with false information and to defend against
efforts made to discern your true motives with the
Empathy skill.
Empathy
Empathy involves knowing and being able to spot
changes in a persons mood or bearing. Its basically
the emotional Notice skill.
Overcome: You dont really use Empathy to
overcome obstacles directlynormally, you find out
some information with it, and then use another skill to
act. In some cases, though, you might use Empathy
like you would Notice, to see if you catch a change in
someones attitude or intent.
Create an Advantage: You can use Empathy to read
a persons emotional state and get a general sense
57
of who they are, presuming you have some kind of

interpersonal contact with them. Most often, youll
use this to assess the aspects on another characters
sheet, but sometimes youll also be able to create
new aspects, especially on NPCs. If the target has
some reason to be aware that youre trying to read
them, they can defend with Deceive or Rapport.
You can also use Empathy to discover what
circumstances will allow you to make mental attacks
on someone, figuring out their breaking points.
Attack: Empathy cant really be used in this capacity.
Defend: This is the skill to go to in order to defend
against Deceive actions, allowing you to pierce
through lies and see through to someones true intent.
You can also use it to defend against those creating
social advantages against you in general.
Special: Empathy is the main skill you use to help
others recover from consequences that are mental in
nature.
a blast with your invulnerable hands.
Investigate
Investigate is the skill you use to find things out. Its
a counterpart to Notice whereas Notice revolves
around situational alertness and surface observation,
Investigate revolves around concentrated effort and
in-depth scrutiny.
Overcome: Investigate obstacles are all about
information thats hard to uncover for some reason.
Analyzing a crime scene for clues, searching a
cluttered room for the item you need, even poring
over a musty old tome to try and find the passage
that makes everything make sense.
Racing against the clock to collect evidence before
the cops show up or disaster occurs is a classic way
to use Investigate in a challenge.
The Fight skill covers all forms of unarmed closequarters combat (in other words, within the same
zone).
Create an Advantage: Investigate is probably one

of the most versatile skills you can use to create an
advantage. As long as youre willing to take the time,
you can find out just about anything about anyone,
discover nearly any detail about a place or object, or
otherwise make up aspects about nearly anything in
the game world that your character could reasonably
unearth.
Overcome: Since you dont really use Fight outside of

a conflict, its not often used to overcome obstacles.
You might use it to display your fighting prowess in
a demonstration, or to participate in some kind of
regulated bout or sport fighting, which would allow
you to use this skill in a contest.
If that sounds broad, consider the following as

just a few of the possibilities for using Investigate:
eavesdropping on a conversation, looking for clues at
a crime scene, examining records, verifying the truth
of a piece of information, conducting surveillance,
and researching a cover story.
Create an Advantage: Youll probably use Fight

for most of the advantages you create in a physical
conflict. Any number of special moves can be
covered with advantages: a targeted strike to stun, a
dirty move, disarming, and so on. You could even
use Fight to assess another fighters style, spotting
weaknesses in his or her form that you can exploit.
Attack: Investigate isnt used to make attacks.
Fight
Defend: Same here.
Knowledge
Attack: This is self-explanatory. You make physical

attacks with Fight. Remember, this is for closein work, so you have to be relatively close to your
opponent
A broad skill that represents your characters

academic knowledge. A Mediocre (+0) rating in
Knowledge means the character has a general high
school education, or may be just beginning his
college career.
Defend: You use Fight to defend against any other

attack or create an advantage attempt made with
Fight, as well as pretty much any action where violently
interposing yourself could prevent it from happening.
If you have a means of doing so, you can use this skill
to defend against Accuracy attacks, such as blocking
Overcome: Knowledge is used to overcome any

obstacle that requires academic knowledge of a
particular topic, such as knowing what area of a
city is controlled by a particular street gang, what
technicalities might see a criminal walk free from
the justice system, or any other topic where your
58
characters research and general reading on the

matter would come in handy.
Create an Advantage: Knowledge is useful for
creating advantages to get a story detail or to
establish that you have a slight edge in something
because of your expertise on the subject. By creating
advantages based on the characters studies, it gives
you a cool way to add new details to a scene or story.
Attack: Knowledge is not used to attack.
Defend: Knowledge doesnt really do anything for
Defend.
Leadership
Your character is a born leader on the battlefield, able
to command of others and devise strategies based
on the strengths of your allies, and the weaknesses
of your enemies. While Empathy might help you
understand people better, and Rapport allows you to
get them to like and trust you (both good additional
skills to take), Leadership is about leading them into
dangerous situations and understanding what is
needed to bring them back out alive.
Notice
The Notice skill involves just that noticing things.
Its a counterpart to Investigate, representing a
characters overall perception, ability to pick out
details at a glance, and other powers of observation.
Usually, when you use Notice, its very quick
compared to Investigate, so the kinds of details you
get from it are more superficial, but you also dont
have to expend as much effort to find them.
Notice is also rolled to determine initiative in conflicts.
Overcome: You dont really use Notice to overcome
obstacles too often but when you do its used in a
reactive way: noticing something in a scene, hearing
a faint sound, spotting the concealed gun in that
guys waistband.
Note that this isnt license for GMs to call for Notice
rolls left and right to see how generally observant
the players characters are; thats boring. Instead,
call for Notice rolls when succeeding would result in
something interesting happening and failing would
result in something just as interesting.
Overcome: Mostly, Leadership is used to

overcome difficulties in combat, such as figuring
out an opponents weakness, knowing how best
to direct your teammates, and what battlefield
tactics to expect from those youve faced before,
or at least studied. Most uses of the skill will involve
advice from the GM in the form of knowledge your
character would possess concerning the present
battlefield and opponents.
Create an Advantage: Whether it is bolstering the
team with a well-placed battle-cry, directing them
on how best to work together, providing direct
support to a fellow hero where its needed most,
or recognizing situations on the field that could
be used to your advantage, Leadership provides
a wide range of options for creating aspects,
allowing you to spotlight your characters tactical
genius.
Attack: Leadership is not use to directly attack
an opponent.
Defend: Leadership doesnt assist directly with
Defend actions.
59
Create an Advantage: You use Notice to create

aspects based on direct observationlooking over
a room for details that stand out, finding an escape
route in a debris-filled building, noticing someone
sticking out in a crowd, etc. When youre watching
people, Notice can tell you whats going on with them
externally; for internal changes, see Empathy. You
might also use Notice to declare that your character
spots something you can use to your advantage in a
situation, such as a convenient Escape Route when
youre trying to get out of a building, or a Subtle
Weakness in the enemys defense. For example, if
youre in a back alley brawl you could make a Notice
roll to say that you spot a puddle on the ground, right
next to your opponents feet that could cause him to
slip.
Attack: Notice isnt really used for attacks.
Defend: You can use Notice to defend against any
uses of Stealth to get the drop on you or ambush you,
or to discover that youre being observed.
Physique
The Physique skill is a counterpart to Athletics,
representing the characters natural physical
aptitudes, such as raw strength and endurance.
Overcome: You can use Physique to overcome
any obstacles that require the application of brute
forcemost often to overcome a situation aspect
on a zoneor any other physical impedance, like
prison bars or locked gates. Of course, Physique is
the classic skill for arm-wrestling matches and other
contests of applied strength, as well as marathons or
other endurance-based challenges.
Create an Advantage: Physique has a lot of potential
for advantages in physical conflict, usually related to
grappling and holding someone in place, making them
Pinned or Locked Down. You might also use it as a
way of discovering physical impairments possessed
by the target.
Attack: Physique is not used to harm people directly
see the Fight skill for that.
Defend: Though you dont generally use Physique
to defend against attacks, you can use it to provide
active opposition to someone elses movement,
provided youre in a small enough space that you can
effectively use your body to block access. You might
also interpose something heavy and brace it to stop
someone from getting through.
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Special: The Physique skill gives you additional

physical stress or consequence slots. Average (+1)
or Fair (+2) gives you 1 extra stress box. Good (+3) or
Great (+4) gives you 2 extra stress boxes. Superb (+5)
and above give you an additional mild consequence
slot along with the additional stress boxes. This slot
can only be used for physical harm.
Lifting: To lift a weight, make a Physique roll in an
Overcome action against the indicated opposition.
Lifting Opposition
Mediocre (+0)
50 lbs
Average (+1)
100 lbs
Fair (+2)
200 lbs
Good (+3)
300 lbs
Great (+4)
400 lbs
Superb (+5)
500 lbs
Fantastic (+6)
600 lbs
Epic (+7)
800 lbs
Monstrous (+8)
1000 lbs
Colossal (+10)
1400 lbs
Unearthly (+11)
1600 lbs
Inconceivable (+12)
2000 lbs
Provoke
Provoke is the skill about getting someones dander
up and eliciting negative emotional response from
them, such as: fear, anger, shame, annoyance, and
so forth.
To use Provoke, you need some kind of justification.
That could come entirely from situation, or because
you have an aspect thats appropriate, or because
youve created an advantage with another skill (like
Rapport or Deceive), or because youve assessed
your targets aspects (see Empathy).
This skill requires that your target can feel
emotions androids and mechanical minions
typically cant be provoked.
Overcome: You can Provoke someone into doing
what you want in a fit of emotional pique. You might
intimidate them for information, piss them off so

badly that they act out, or scare them into running
away. This will often happen when youre going up
against nameless NPCs or it isnt worthwhile to play
out the particulars. Against PCs or important NPCs,
youll need to win a contest. They oppose with Will.
Create an Advantage: You can create advantages
representing momentary emotional states, like
Enraged, Shocked, or Hesitant. Your target
opposes with Will.
Attack: You can make mental attacks with Provoke,
to do emotional harm to an opponent. Your
relationship with the target and the circumstances
youre in figure a great deal into whether or not you
can use this action.
Defend: Being good at provoking others doesnt
make you better at avoiding it yourself. You need
Will for that.
Rapport
The Rapport skill is all about making positive
connections to people and eliciting positive emotion.
Its the skill of being liked and trusted.
Overcome: Use Rapport to charm or inspire people to
do what you want, or to establish a good connection
with them. Charm your way past the thugs, convince
someone to take you into their confidence, or become
the man of the hour at the local bar. For nameless
NPCs, this is just an overcome action, but you may
have to enter a contest to sufficiently ingratiate
yourself to a named NPC or PC.
Create an Advantage: Use Rapport to establish
a positive mood on a target or in a scene or to get
someone to confide in you out of a genuine sense
of trust. You could pep talk someone into having
Elevated Confidence, or stir a crowd into a Joyful
Fervor, or simply make someone Talkative or Helpful.
Attack: Rapport doesnt cause harm, so you dont
use it for attacks.
Resources
Resources describes your characters general level of
material wealth and ability to apply it. This is not just
your cash on hand, but also the net worth of all your
assets and credit lines. It represents your purchasing
power, lifestyle, and ability to make money do the
talking for you.
Overcome: You can use Resources to get yourself
out of or past any situation where throwing money
at the problem will help, such as committing bribery
or acquiring rare and expensive things. Challenges or
contests might involve auctions or bidding wars.
Create an Advantage: You might use Resources to
grease the wheels and make people more likely to
help you achieve your goals, whether that represents
an actual bribe, or putting out a reward on an enemys
head to make their life difficult. You can also use
Resources to declare that you have something you
need on hand, or can quickly acquire it, which could
give you an aspect representing the object.
Attack: Resources isnt used for attacks.
Defend: Resources isnt used to defend.
Available Funds
Currency isnt typically measured in comic books, a
character is usually strapped for cash, is independently
wealthy, or are somewhere in between. In the Daring
Comics, your wealth is tied directly into your Resource
skill rating. Instead of tracking actual monetary worth,
which isnt fun for most people and isnt really a factor
in most comic books, purchasing something is a
simple Overcome action. The guidelines for what can
be purchased at what opposition are shown below.
These are just guidelines (it would be impossible to
account for everything), but should give a GM enough
of a gauge when assigning opposition.
Defend: Rapport defends against any skill used

to damage your reputation, sour a mood youve
created, or make you look bad in front of other
people. It does not, however, defend against mental
attacks. That requires Will.
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Purchase Opposition
Opposition
Types of
Purchases
Mediocre (+0)
Everyday Items
Average (+1)
Most street level

firearms, highend electronics
Fair (+2)
High-end Firearms,
Top of the line
consumer electronics
Good (+3)
Average vehicle,
SOTA electronics
Great (+4)
Top-end vehicle,
Average house
Superb (+5)
Small Mansion
Fantastic (+6)
Large Mansion
Epic (+7)
Military vehicles
such as a tank.
Monstrous (+8)
Fighter jet, private

luxury jet
Colossal (+10)
A Skyscraper
Unearthly (+11)
A private space craft
Inconceivable (+12)
You can buy real

estate off world.
Stealth
The Stealth skill allows you to avoid detection, both
when hiding in place and trying to move about unseen.
It pairs well with the Thief skill.
Overcome: You can use Stealth to get past any
situation that primarily depends on you not being
seen. Sneaking past sentries and security, hiding
from a pursuer, avoiding leaving evidence as you
pass through a place, and any other such uses all fall
under the purview of Stealth.
Create an Advantage: Youll mainly use Stealth to
create aspects on yourself, setting yourself in an ideal
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position for an attack or ambush in a conflict. That

way, you can be Well-Hidden when the patrol passes
you in the secret villain lair and take advantage of
that, or Hard to Pin Down if youre fighting in the dark.
Attack: Stealth isnt used to make attacks.
Defend: You can use this to foil Notice attempts to
pinpoint you or seek you out, as well as to try to throw
off the scent of an Investigate attempt from someone
trying to track you.
Technology
Characters with this skill understand the mechanics
of how things operate, from primitive catapults,
to modern vehicles, and even powered-armor or
alien technology. Like with the Knowledge skill, the
Technology skill represents a broad knowledge,
while Stunts allow you to narrow your characters
true areas of expertise.
Overcome: Technology is used to overcome obstacles
that relate to repairing anything from a car, to a computer,
to alien and super-science technology. Youll also use
it for hacking through computer systems, as well as
bypassing electronic security devices. When you
discover a piece of mysterious technology, youll also
use the skill to figure out how it works, and whether or
not it is about to go BOOM! Technology is also used
for inventing any non-magical device.
Create an Advantage: Primarily, Technology is used
to create situational advantages that will assist you
in overcoming obstacles, such as having advanced
tools on hand, getting a brain-storm, or having some
other type of technological knowledge asset that
gives you an edge.
Attack: You probably wont use Technology to attack
in a conflict, unless the conflict is directly about
using some sort of machinery. GMs and players, talk
over the likelihood of this happening in your game if
you have someone who is really interested in taking
this skill. Usually, weapons you invent are likely to be
used with other skills to attack a guy who makes
an ice gun still needs Accuracy to have a chance of
hitting his target.
Defend: As with attacking, Technology doesnt
defend, unless youre somehow using it as the skill
to control a piece of machinery that you can use to
block an attack.
Thief
The Thief skill covers your characters aptitude for
stealing things and getting into places that are offlimits.
Thief shares one benefit with Technology, which is
knowledge of electronic security systems. So, if your
character is skilled and breaking-and-entering, but
isnt necessarily knowledgeable in a broader range
of technology, the Thief skill will serve your purposes
just fine.
Overcome: As stated above, Thief allows you to
overcome any obstacle related to theft or infiltration.
Bypassing electronic locks and motion sensors,
pickpocketing and filching, covering your tracks, and
other such activities all fall under the purview of this
skill.
Create an Advantage: You can case a location with
Thief, to determine how hard it will be to break into
and what kind of security youre dealing with, as well
as discover any vulnerabilities you might exploit.
You can also examine the work of other burglars to
determine how a particular heist was done, and create
or discover aspects related to whatever evidence
they may have left behind.
Attack: Thief isnt used for attacks.
Defend: Same here. Its not really a conflict skill, so
theres not a lot of opportunity to use it to defend.
Treatment
This skill covers the treatment and diagnosis of
physical injuries, and is used to treat patients such
as with first-aid, quick suturing, or even emergency
surgery.
Overcome: Treatment will mostly be used when
healing anothers physical injuries, and as such will
have to overcome the Opposition to do so. It can also
be used to notice when someone else (such as an
opponent) is injured and trying to hide, which means
that Treatment would be used instead of the Notice
skill and would be opposed by the others Deceive
skill.
Create an Advantage: The Treatment skill offers an
interesting range of options when creating advantages
on a patient, from hitting them up with Pain Reducing
Drugs to giving them a Boost of Adrenaline.
Attack: Treatment is not used to attack.

Defend: Treatment does not apply to a Defend action.
Vehicles
The Vehicles skill is all about operating vehicles
and things that go fast everything from cars and
motorcycles, to boats, to aircraft and space vessels.
Overcome: Vehicles is the equivalent of Athletics
when youre in a vehicleyou use it to successfully
accomplish movement in the face of difficult
circumstances, like rough terrain, small amounts of
clearance, or stunt driving. Obviously, Vehicles is also
ripe for contests, especially chases and races.
Create an Advantage: You can use Vehicles to
determine the best way to get somewhere in a vehicle,
and a good enough roll might allow you to learn
features of the route that get expressed as aspects,
or declare that you know a Convenient Shortcut or
something similar.
You can also just read the Athletics description, and
then make it about a vehicle. Advantages created
using Vehicles often revolve around getting good
positioning, doing a fancy maneuver, or putting your
opponent in a bad spot.
Attack: Vehicles isnt usually used as an attack skill
(though stunts can certainly alter this). If you want to
ram a vehicle, you can attack with Vehicles, but you
take the same shifts of harm you inflict.
Defend: Avoiding damage to a vehicle in a physical
conflict is one of the most common uses of Vehicles.
You can also use it to defend against advantages
being created against you or overcome actions of
someone trying to move past you in a vehicle.
Weapons
Shields, swords, maces, batons, fighting sticks
these are just more tools of your trade when youre
trained in the Weapons skill.
Overcome: Just as with Fight, you dont really use
Weapons outside of a conflict, its not often used to
overcome obstacles.
Create an Advantage: Again, same as with Fight,
and well just repeat it here: Youll probably use
Weapons for most of the advantages you create in a
physical conflict. Any number of special moves can
be covered with advantages: a targeted strike to stun,
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a dirty move, disarming, and so on.

Attack: Naturally, this is a skill for melee fighting,
which means youll have to be close to your opponent.
Defend: Blocks, parries, and deflections Weapons
is a key skill for defense.
Contests of Will might reflect particularly challenging

games, like chess, or competing in a hard set of
exams.
Will also serves as your defense against psychic and
mystical attacks
Will
Create an Advantage: You can use Will to place

aspects on yourself, representing a state of deep
concentration or focus.
The Will skill represents your characters general

level of mental fortitude, the same way Physique
represents your physical fortitude.
Attack: Will isnt really used for attacks.
Overcome: You can use Will to pit yourself against

obstacles that require mental effort. Puzzles and
riddles can fall under this category, as well as any
mentally absorbing task, like deciphering a code.
Use Will when its only a matter of time before you
overcome the mental challenge, and Knowledge if it
takes something more than brute mental force to get
past it. Many of the obstacles that you go up against
with Will might be made part of challenges, to reflect
the effort involved.
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Defend: Will is the main skill you use to defend

against mental attacks from Provoke, representing
your control over your reactions. It is also used in
Defend actions against psychic and mental attacks.
Special: The Will skill gives you additional mental
stress boxes or consequence slots. Average (+1) or
Fair (+2) gives you 1 extra stress box. Good (+3) or
Great (+4) gives you 2 extra stress boxes. Superb (+5)
and above give you an additional mild consequence
slot along with the additional stress boxes. This slot
can only be used for mental harm.
Chapter 8: Stunts
A stunt is a special trait your character has that
changes the way a skill works for you. Stunts indicate
some special, privileged way a character uses a skill
that is unique to whoever has that stunt, which is a
pretty common trope in a lot of settings special or
elite training, exceptional talents, the mark of destiny,
genetic alteration, innate coolness, and a myriad of
other reasons all explain why some people get more
out of their skills than others do.
Unlike skills, which are about the sort of things
anyone can do in your campaign, stunts are about
individual characters. Although all the characters on
a team might have the same skill, their stunts will
differentiate them from each other.
Stunt Creation Examples

All of the stunts shown as examples under
the stunt Creation rules are listed as part
of the sample stunts as well. Some sample
stunts have also been drawn from other Fate
system products thanks to various System
Reference Documents and the Open Gaming
License. In such instances, they were stunts
we also felt were already seen in super-hero
comic books, and didnt feel that reinventing
them purely for the sake of doing so would
have been in the spirit of the SRD and OGL.
Gamers who already owned such other
products were already familiar with those
specific stunt designs.
Basic Stunt Creation

Daring Comics allows players to take stunts during
character creation, or leave open the option to take
stunts during play. There are a number of example
stunts listed in this chapter. These are not a hard
and fast list; rather, theyre there to show you how to
create your own (though you can certainly lift directly
from the book if youd like to).
Creating your own stunts is not hard, and in fact we
encourage you to do. Not only is it an investment in the
development of your hero, but stunts can also say a lot
about the style of comic book series youre creating.
There are three basic things a stunt can do, as detailed

below.
Add a New Action to a Skill

The most basic option for a stunt is to allow a skill
to do something that it normally cant do. It adds a
new action onto the base skill in certain situations,
for those with this stunt. This new action can be one
thats available to another skill (allowing one skill to
swap for another under certain circumstances), or
one thats not available to any skill.
Attention to Detail: You can use Investigate instead
of Empathy to defend against Deceive attempts.
What others discover through gut reactions and
intuition, you learn through careful observation of
minute expression.
Quick Draw: You can use Accuracy instead of Notice
to determine turn order in any physical conflict where
shooting quickly would be useful.
Strike from the Shadows: You can use Stealth to
make physical attacks, provided your target isnt
already aware of your presence.
Unnatural Aura: You can use Provoke to enter the
kinds of contests that youd normally need Physique
for, whenever your ability to psych your opponent
out with the force of your presence alone would be
a factor.

Finally, a stunt can allow a skill to make a single
exception, in a narrow circumstance, for any other
game rule that doesnt precisely fit into the category
of an action. The Comic Book Action chapter is full
of different little rules about the circumstances under
which a skill can be used and what happens when
you use them. Stunts can break those, allowing your
character to stretch the boundaries of the possible.
The only limit to this is that a stunt cant change any
of the basic rules for aspects in terms of invoking,
compelling, and the fate point economy. Those
always remain the same.
Eavesdropper: On a successful Investigate roll
to create an advantage by eavesdropping on a
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conversation, you can discover or create one

additional aspect (though this doesnt give you an
extra free invocation).
Iron Will: You can choose to ignore a mild consequence
for the duration of the scene. It cant be compelled
against you or invoked by your enemies. At the end
of the scene it comes back worse, though; increase
the consequence to moderate. If Moderate is already
taken, it becomes Severe. If for some reason you
cant increase the consequence, you are Taken Out.
Take the Blow: You can use Physique to defend
against Fight attacks made with fists or blunt
instruments, though you always take 1 shift of stress
on a tie.

under Specific
Circumstances
Another use for a stunt is to give a skill
an automatic bonus under a particular,
very narrow circumstance, effectively
letting a character specialize in
something. The circumstance should
be narrower than what the normal
action allows, and only apply to one
particular action or pair of actions.
The usual bonus is +2 to the skill total.
However, if you want, you can also
express the bonus as two shifts of
additional effect after the roll succeeds,
if that makes more sense. Remember,
higher shifts on a roll allow your action
to be more effective in certain ways.
You can also use this to establish
any effect worth two shifts as an
additional benefit of succeeding at
the skill roll. This might be Fair (+2)
passive opposition, the equivalent
of a 2-point hit, a mild consequence,
or an advantage that takes Fair (+2)
opposition to remove.
Killing Stroke: Once per scene,
when you force an opponent to take
a consequence, you can spend a fate
point to increase the consequences
severity (so mild becomes moderate,
moderate becomes severe). If your
opponent was already going to take a
severe consequence, he must either
take a severe consequence and a
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second consequence or be taken out.

Lead Rain: You really like emptying magazines. Any
time youre using a fully automatic weapon and you
succeed at an Accuracy attack, you automatically
create a Fair (+2) opposition against movement in
that zone until your next turn, because of all the lead
in the air. (Normally, youd need to take a separate
action to set up this kind of interference, but with the
stunt, its free.)
Man of Industry: Gain a +2 bonus to any attempt
to overcome obstacles with Rapport when youre
at corporate function, such as a trade show, board
meeting, or business related negotiation.
Master of Shadows: Gain a +2 bonus to create an
advantage using Stealth, whenever the situation
specific has to do with using darkness and shadows.
Advanced Stunt Creation

In addition to the three basic forms a stunt can take,
you can also expand that a little further with some
advanced stunt creation techniques, as shown
below. Be warned, though, that they can make
creating stunts a little trickier, and can easily throw a
stunt slightly out of balance. Of course, its difficult
to create a stunt that will break your story, and you
can always adjust it during play if it proves to be a
bit too powerful.
Triggered Effects
A triggered effect stunt is a stunt that well triggers
under a specific narrative condition, requires a skill
roll, and has a specific effect as a result. These types
of stunts are very useful when you want to see the
characters do certain types of things in the game, as
the stunts directly reward such actions.
Now, youll notice that the following stunt examples
do not say what happens when the roll fails. Its
deliberate. These triggered effects tend to be
powerful, so their drawbacks should be equally so.
A tie should be similar to a success, but at some
sort of minor cost. On a failure, feel free to apply
appropriate repercussions.
Lead By Example: When you first take a Moderate
or Severe Consequence while in battle alongside
your teammates and continue to fight, roll Leadership
against Fair (+2) opposition. On a success, your
teammates gain +1 to their next single Defend or
Attack action, as theyre inspired by your never say
die determination. On a success with style, they get
a +1 to their next single Attack and Defend action,
and you still place a Boost as normal.
Intimidating Presence: When you make it clear how
dangerous you are, roll Provoke against your targets
Will. If you succeed, that target will not attack you
or willingly come near you unless you take action
against him first. If you succeed with style, neither
will anyone with a lower Will than your target.
Fate Point-Powered Stunts

Another way to restrict how often a stunt comes
into play is to have it cost a fate point to use. This
is a good option if the desired stunt effect is very
powerful, or there doesnt seem to be a good way
for you to change the wording of the stunt to make it
come up less often in play.
Our best advice for determining what really powerful

means is that it either goes beyond the specified limits
we gave above (so, if it adds a new action to a skill and
a bonus), or significantly affects conflicts. Specifically,
almost any stunt that allows you to do extra stress in
a conflict should cost a fate point to use (keep in mind
that powers do not share this rule, as explained in
Building Powers section in Chapter 9: Powers).
Ninja Vanish: Once per scene, you can vanish while
in plain sight by spending a fate point, using a smoke
pellet or other mysterious technique. This places the
Vanished boost on you. While youre vanished, no one
can attack or create an advantage on you until after
theyve succeeded at an overcome roll with Notice
to determine where you went (basically meaning they
have to give up an exchange to try). This boost goes
away as soon as you invoke it, or someone makes
that overcome roll.
Situational Reflexes: You may spend a fate point to
go first in an exchange, regardless of your initiative.
If multiple people with this stunt exercise this ability,
they go in turn of their normal initiative, before those
who dont have the stunt get a chance to act. If the
exchange has already started, and you have not yet
acted, you may instead spend a fate point to act next,
out of the usual turn order.
Stunt Families
If you want to get detailed about a particular kind of
training or talent, you can create a stunt family for it.
This is a group of stunts that are related to and chain
off of each other somehow.
Creating a stunt family is easy. You make one stunt
that serves as a prerequisite for all the others in the
family, qualifying you to take further stunts up the
chain. Then, you need to create a handful of stunts
that are all related somehow to the prerequisite,
either stacking the effects or branching out into
another set of effects.
Stacking effects is perhaps the simplest way of
handling a related stunt, and is just making the original
stunt more effective in the same situation:
If the stunt added an action, narrow it further and give
the new action a bonus. Follow the same rules for
adding a bonus the circumstances in which it applies
should be narrower than that of the base action.
If the stunt gave a bonus to an action, give an
additional +2 bonus to the same action or add an
additional two-shift effect to that action.
67
If the stunt made a rules exception, make it even more

of an exception. This might be difficult depending on
what the original exception is. Dont worry, though,
you have other options.
Keep in mind that the upgraded stunt effectively
replaces the original. You can look at it as a single
super-stunt that costs two points for the price of
being more powerful than other stunts.
Here are some stunts examples that stack:
Into the Fray: Youre at your best when facing a group
of opponents. Whenever you are outnumbered in a fight
(meaning your opponents have a bonus for teamwork
against you), you do an extra Shift of damage.
Everywhere at Once (Requires Into the Fray): You
know how to use a group of opponents against each
other. Whenever facing two or more opponents at
once, you gain a +2 to Fight.
One-Man Army (Requires Everywhere at Once):
You are a one-man army; the odds dont matter
to you. Whenever you are attacked, opponents
simply do not get a bonus to their attacks due to an
advantage of numbers.
Branching Effects
When you branch, you create a new stunt that
relates to the original in terms of theme or subject
matter, but provides a wholly new effect. If you
look at stacking effects as expanding a stunt or
skill vertically, you can look at branching effects as
expanding them horizontally.
If your original stunt added an action to a skill, a
branching stunt might add a different action to
that skill, or it might provide a bonus to a different
action the skill already has, or create a rules
exception. The mechanical effect isnt connected
to the prerequisite stunt at all, but provides a
complementary bit of versatility.
This allows you to provide a few different paths
that follow from a single stunt. You can use this
to highlight different elements of a certain skill
and help characters who are highly ranked in the
same skill differentiate from each other by following
different stunt families.
As an example of how this works, lets take a look
at the Contacts skill, and one way we could create
some branching stunts which represent using ones
reputation to an advantage.
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Big Man: When selecting this stunt, the player

picks a specific field (Criminal, Business, Politics,
Espionage and Occult are the most common); this
stunt is often written with that field incorporated,
e.g., Big Man in Politics. The character is not merely
well connected in that community, he is actually
a person of great importance within that area; for
maximum benefit, this should be paired with an
aspect that indicates similar things.
In addition to the narrative benefits of such a position,
the character may use his Contacts skill in lieu of the
Resources skill for anything which might fall under
the auspices of members in that field. This stunt may
be taken multiple times, each time for a different field.
Talk the Talk (Requires Big Man): Whenever dealing
with members of your chosen field, you put out all
the right signals, say all the right things. In such
circumstances, you may roll your Rapport at +2, or,
alternatively, use your Contacts instead of Rapport,
in order to get a favorable reaction.
Big Name (Requires Big Man): Youre so well known
that an awareness of your name has crossed over
into other areas as well. The first time you deal with
someone whos heard of you (spending a fate point
can assure that they have), and youre using your
name, you get a +2 bonus to a Rapport or Provoke roll.
Big Reputation (Requires Big Name): Your
reputation has reached great proportions, and people
are willing to believe all sorts of things about you.
For a fate point, you may use your Contacts skill
instead of Rapport, Provoke, Deceive, Leadership, or
Will, provided those you are dealing with are aware of
your reputation (a second fate point will nearly always
assure that they do).
This stunt combines with the bonus from Big Name,
getting the character a +2 to Contacts when using it
instead of Rapport or Provoke.
Broad Stunts
If youre looking for more variety in your stunts than a
+2 or its equivalent, consider the idea of a broad stunt
that offers a +1 to two or three things. These could
be three different actions within the same skill, or
could branch across multiple related skills. If youre
going to allow broad stunts like this, watch out for the
overlaps in stunt combinations: you dont want two
broad stunts giving the net effect of three +2s for the
price of only two stunts.
Combined Stunts
If you want to offer particularly potent stunts, consider
bundling the benefit of multiple stunts together to
produce a single big effect. For example, you could
create a stunt that provides a monstrous 4-shift
effectthats a combination of two stunts, and as
such would cost two refresh.
Stunts as Special Effects

Sometimes it will make sense to include stunts as
part of a Power Set, such as Uncanny Agility or
Superhuman Agility as a part of a Super-Speed set,
or a Physique stunt as part of an Invulnerability set.
Thats perfectly acceptable. What you are saying is
that the stunt is tied directly into the power, so if the
power is somehow nullified, you also lose access to
the stunts effect. Since Special Effects are designed
the same as stunts, it doesnt break or unbalance
anything to treat any normal stunt as a power Special
Effect.
Stunts and Power

Special Effect Overlap
In some cases, a stunt shares the exact same
effect with a power special effect under a
different name. This is because some effects
work great when combined with a power, but
also work just as well if taken as a stunt a
part of a character representing some sort of
training.
Watch for those type of stunts vs special
effects, because the benefits do not stack.
Sample Stunts
Okay, so now that youve seen all the various methods
to creating your own stunts, the rest of this chapter
lists plenty of sample stunts that weve included for
you. The sample stunts can be purchased and added
directly to your character sheet if you find some that
fit your characters concept.
Accuracy Stunts
Any Object is a Bullet
Once per conflict your hero can declare any small
object to be a ranged weapon when thrown by him.
Thrown attacks with the object have Weapon: 2 rating.
Lead Rain
You really like emptying magazines. Any time youre
using a fully automatic weapon and you succeed at an
Accuracy attack, you automatically create a Fair (+2)
opposition against movement in that zone until your
next turn because of all the lead in the air. (Normally,
youd need to take a separate action to set up this
kind of interference, but with the stunt, its free.)
Quick Draw
You can use Accuracy instead of Notice to determine
turn order in any physical conflict where shooting
quickly would be useful.
Ricochet Expert
Youre an expert when bouncing your attack off
surfaces to strike your target. You can perform a
ricochet twice per conflict, and you can bounce it off
of two surfaces before your opponents start accruing
bonuses per additional surface (see: Combat Tactics
for ricochet rules).
Superior Marksman
Youre extremely adept at taking aim on someone.
When you succeed with style when placing an
aspect to represent taking aim, you get an additional
free invocation.
Trick Shot
When using your ranged weapon to create a Situation
Aspect representing taking a fancy shot, such as
shooting the chain holding a chandelier, or shooting a
gun out of a thugs hand for a Disarmed aspect, you
get +2 to the roll.
Arcanum Stunts
Fortune Telling
Fortune-telling is a form of the Create an Advantage
action. The character may, once per Issue, make a
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prediction, and make a roll against a difficulty set by

the GM. If the roll is successful, its a true fortune,
and there is now an aspect that represents it. If the
target of the fortune was a person, they receive the
temporary aspect for the duration of the Story Arc.
If it was a general prediction, it is considered to be
a scene aspect on every scene for the duration of
the Story Arc.
Hypnotic Voice
When interacting with others socially, you are able
to weave the patterns and methods of mesmerism
into your words, potentially putting someone youre
talking to into a partial trance without them realizing
it. Provided you have had several minutes of calm
conversation with another character as a preamble,
you may start using your Arcanum skill instead
of Rapport or Deceit. You may not make such a
substitution if the conversation becomes strongly
charged with emotion or if other distractions break
the air of calm. This stunt works even when dealing
with an unwilling subject (in part because it simply
allows you to substitute Arcanum for the perfectly
normal functions of Rapport and Deceit).
Sixth Sense
You may use Arcanum instead of Notice when it
involves things that are mystical or sorcerous in nature.
Powerful Sixth Sense

(Requires Sixth Sense)
When using Arcanum in a Create an Advantage action
to discover an aspect, you gain +2 to the roll.
Artificing Stunts
A Kind of Magic
When you succeed with style while creating an
artifact, you also get a free invocation of a single
aspect possessed by the artifact.
Master Artificer
When creating an artifact, you ignore the first two
points of opposition increase for the artifact being
a higher quality than your workshop. Beginning at
+3 points of higher artifact quality, your opposition
is still increased by +3, but you suffer no opposition
increase for the first two points.
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Warded Workshop
When you succeed at a major cost when creating
an artifact, your artifact suffers a Flaw aspect (as
though you succeeded at a minor cost) instead of
a Complication.
Athletics Stunts
Dazing Counter
When you succeed with style on a defend action against
an opponents Fight roll, you automatically counter with
some sort of nerve punch or stunning blow. You get to
attach the Dazed situation aspect to your opponent
with a free invoke, instead of just a boost.
Fluid Technique
You know how to use your speed and agility in closequarters conflict, allowing you to use Athletics instead
of Fight to attack and defend in melee.
Uncanny Agility
Your agility is such that you can quickly dodge
bullets, arrows, and other ranged attacks, and you
gain +2 bonus to Athletics rolls when using a Defend
actions to dodge.
Superhuman Agility
(Requires Uncanny Agility)
Your agility is such that you can move with inhuman
speed, and now grants +4 bonus to Defend actions
involving dodging.
Contacts Stunts
Big Man
When selecting this stunt, the player picks
a specific field (Criminal, Business, Politics,
Espionage and Occult are the most common); this
stunt is often written with that field incorporated,
e.g., Big Man in Politics. The character is not
merely well connected in that community, he is
actually a person of great importance within that
area; for maximum benefit, this should be paired
with an aspect that indicates similar things.
In addition to the narrative benefits of such a position,
the character may use his Contacts skill in lieu of the
Resources skill for anything which might fall under
the auspices of members in that field. This stunt may

be taken multiple times, each time for a different field.
Talk the Talk

(Requires Big Man)
Whenever dealing with members of your chosen field,
you put out all the right signals, say all the right things.
In such circumstances, you may roll your Rapport
at +2, or, alternatively, use your Contacts instead of
Rapport, in order to get a favorable reaction.
Big Name
(Requires Big Man)
Youre so well known that an awareness of your
name has crossed over into other areas as well. The
first time you deal with someone whos heard of you
(spending a fate point can assure that they have),
and youre using your name, you get a +2 bonus to a
Rapport or Provoke roll.
Big Reputation
(Requires Big Name)
Your reputation has reached great proportions, and
people are willing to believe all sorts of things about you.
Tapping the Network

Whenever a conflict is taking place where youve
built an extensive network of contacts, you can use
Contacts instead of Notice to determine initiative,
representing that you received a tip-off about the
upcoming problem, and perhaps even some useful
data on your opponents.
Word on the Street

When investigating a crime, news story, or some
other plot element, your contacts on the street
provide you with some information. Once per issue,
make a Contact roll against Fair (+2) Opposition.
On a success, you can create one Situation Aspect
to represent the clue your contacts gave you. On a
Success with Style, you gain an extra free invocation.
This basically allows you to create an element of the
story, and the GM has final say on the nature of the
aspect. Since you get to create it, that means the GM
should work with you if the aspect is too broad, or
takes the story into a direction best not covered.
Controlling Skill Stunts

Power stunt Expert
For a fate point, you may use your Contacts skill

instead of Rapport, Provoke, Deceive, Leadership, or
Will, provided those you are dealing with are aware of
your reputation (a second fate point will nearly always
assure that they do).
Youve trained to use your powers in new and

unique ways, and gain a +2 bonus when performing
Power Stunts.
This stunt combines with the bonus from Big Name,

getting the character a +2 to Contacts when using it
instead of Rapport or Provoke.
(Requires Power stunt Expert)
In the Know
Youve an extensive network that can get you rumors
and vital information quickly. By spending a fate point
when encountering someone, youre saying that
you already know something important about them.
Whenever you use Contacts to create a Situation
Aspect against them, you gain +2 bonus to the roll.
People are always changing, however, and your
information wont be valid forever. The +2 bonus is
not permanent. It lasts only for that issue, and you
must spend a fate point to have the bonus against
them again in a later issue.
Power stunt Mastery

Youre a master and expanding the scope of your
powers, and now get a +4 bonus to creating
Power Stunts.
Deceive Stunts
Actor
Being a competent actor just means knowing how
to lie with an entirely new set of skills. You can use
Deceive instead of Rapport when trying to charm
your way through a situation.
Impersonator
Deceive can be used to convince people you are
someone you arent, but usually only in a general
sense. You can seem to be a cop, an author, et
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cetera, but you cant seem to be a specific person

without a lot of work (and an elevated difficulty). With
this stunt, you can easily imitate the mannerisms
and voice of anyone youve had a chance to study,
removing another potential cause to have a disguise
examined, or perhaps convincing someone who
cant see you that youre someone else even though
youre undisguised.
Studying someone doesnt require a skill roll, but it does
take a half an hour of time. If you wish to do it faster,
state how much time you want to take. The number of
steps on the Time Increment chart between a half an
hour and your new, short time is the opposition you
must overcome with a Deceive roll.
Master of Disguise
Your disguises are near perfect. you get a +2 bonus
whenever you roll Deceive to prevent someone from
seeing through your disguise.
Empathy Stunts
Counselor
You have some professional training in counseling
others, helping them get through their psychosis and
other mental issues.
When rolling to reduce Mental Consequences in other
people, you gain a +2 to your Empathy roll.
Emotional Trigger
You know how best to hit someones emotional
triggers. You can use Empathy in place of Provoke
when attempting to intimidate or anger someone.
Empathic Read
When you have a few minutes of observation or
interaction with someone, make a roll against Fair (+2)
Opposition. On a success, you treat getting a tie as
a success when using Empathy to place a Situation
Aspect on them. On a success with style, you get an
additional free invocation of the Aspect.
Lie Detector
You gain +2 to all Empathy rolls made to discern
or discover lies, whether theyre directed at you or
someone else.
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Fight Stunts
Into the Fray
Youre at your best when facing a group of opponents.
Whenever you are outnumbered in a fight (meaning
your opponents have a bonus for teamwork against
you), you do an extra Shift of damage.
Everywhere at Once
(Requires Into the Fray)
You know how to use a group of opponents against
each other. Whenever facing two or more opponents
at once, you gain a +2 to Fight.
One-Man Army
(Requires Everywhere at Once)
You are a one-man army; the odds dont matter
to you. Whenever you are attacked, opponents
simply do not get a bonus to their attacks due to an
advantage of numbers.
Investigate Stunts
Attention to Detail
You can use Investigate instead of Empathy to defend
against Deceive attempts. What others discover
through gut reactions and intuition, you learn through
careful observation of micro-expressions.
Eavesdropper
On a successful Investigate roll to create an
advantage by eavesdropping on a conversation, you
can discover or create one additional aspect (though
this doesnt give you an extra free invocation).
Focused Senses
The character is skilled at concentrating on one of his
senses to the exclusion of all others. The sense must
be specified at the time this stunt is taken. With a few
moments of concentration, the character may enter a
focused state. So long as he remains in that state, for as
long as the character uses nothing but Investigation, all
Investigation actions the character takes that use the
specified sense gain a +2 bonus. While in this state, if
the character needs to make a non-Investigation roll,
the opposition receives a +2 bonus.
This stunt may be taken multiple times, each time for

a single sense. If the character has specified multiple
senses, his focus may cover all of them at once.
Knowledge Stunts
Specialist
Choose a field of specialization, such as criminology,
quantum physics, or even a fictional super-science
such as Temporal Physics or Transdimensional
Chemistry. You get a +2 to all Knowledge rolls
relating to that field of specialization. This stunt can
be taken multiple times, each time applying to a
different area of expertise.
Dizzying Intellect
(Requires Specialist)
Your knowledge is so advanced, theres usually no
one around who can tell if youre making things up.
Whenever your field of specialization skill comes to
bear, you may use Knowledge instead of Deceit. If
youve taken Specialist multiple times, this stunt
applies to all covered areas.
Know It All
Your specialized knowledge gives you flashes of
insight into all manner of things.
When you use Knowledge to create Situation
Aspects related to your area of expertise, you gain an
additional free invocation.
Mad Scientist
Well, you might not be evil, but your knowledge of
science allows you to create devices and inventions
related to your field of specialization (with the normal
+2 from Specialist). When doing so, you use your
Knowledge skill instead of Technology.
Leadership Stunts
you are a part. Information within the organization

flows your way naturally.
Make a Leadership roll against opposition set by the
GM. On a success, you gain some specific insight (also
determined by the GM) into an important matter, such
as an arms deal going down, illegal drug shipment, or
movement by one of the various evil organization that
populate the campaign. This allows you to react to it
and get agents on the scene.
On a success with style, you can automatically create
a situation aspect related to the information, and gain
a number of free invocation as though you actually
succeeded with style on a Create an Advantage action.
Lead By Example
When you first take a Mild or Moderate Consequence
while in battle alongside your teammates and continue
to fight, roll Leadership against Fair (+2) opposition.
On a success, your teammates gain +1 to their next
single Defend or Attack action, as theyre inspired
by your never say die determination. On a success
with style, they get a +1 to their next single Attack and
Defend action, and you still place a Boost as normal.
Organizational Funding
You have access to the resources of the organization
of which youre a member. Use the greater of your
Leadership or Resources skill when using organization
funds to obtain equipment.
Black Book Funding

(Requires Organizational Funding)
Your access to the organizations funds is top level
clearance. Your Leadership or Resources skill is
treated as +2 steps higher on the ladder when using
organization funds to obtain equipment.
Tactician
Your ability to analyze the enemy and create tactics
to confront them is astounding. As long as you have
at least one minute to study your opponent, you gain
+2 whenever creating situation aspects against them.
Master Tactician
Center of the Web
(Requires Tactician)
Whether or not you lead it, you are like the spider at the
center of a web regarding any organization of which
Your tactical ability means you can think on your

feet and react to the ever changing situations of
the battlefield. You only have to be in a conflict for
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one exchange before you gain the

+2 to Create an Advantage actions
against your enemy.
Notice Stunts
Body Language
Reader
You can use Notice in place of
Empathy to learn the aspects of a
target through observation.
Situational
Reflexes
You may spend a fate point to go
first in an exchange, regardless of
your initiative. If multiple people
with this stunt exercise this ability,
they go in turn of their normal
initiative, before those who dont
have the stunt get a chance to act.
If the exchange has already started,
and you have not yet acted, you
may instead spend a fate point to
act next, out of the usual turn order.
Thought Equals
Action
The characters senses are so keyed
into minute changes that he is able to
respond more quickly to new details.
The characters Notice skill is +2 for
purposes of determining initiative.
This stunt breaks ties whenever
facing opponents with the same
initiative.
Physique Stunts
Extraordinary
Determination
keep spending fate points in this fashion until he runs

out, each time the time limit expires.
The character may spend fate points to keep standing.

Any time the character would be taken out by (or
otherwise suffer a consequence from) a physical
hit he may spend a fate point to remain standing or
otherwise defer a consequence or concession for
one more exchange, or until hes hit again, whatever
comes first. Once the extra time hes bought is up, all
effects he has deferred come to bear at once. He may
This means that with a whole handful of fate

points he might go on for three exchanges with no
consequences or collapse impeding him, and then
suddenly keel over, revealing Multiple Bruises and a
Broken Rib and a few surplus consequences, which
would suggest an immediate taken out result to be
determined by his attacker, even if that attacker has
been defeated in the intervening time!
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Face the Pain
Intimidating Presence
The character is able to lessen the effects of physical

injury thanks to his incredible stamina. Once per scene,
the character may spend a fate point and remove a
check mark from his 1-Stress or 2-Stress box.
Now Youve Made Me Mad
When you make it clear how dangerous you are, roll

Provoke against your targets Will. If you succeed,
that target will not attack you or willingly come near
you unless you take action against him first. If you
succeed with style, neither will anyone with a lower
Will than your target.
(Requires: Face the Pain)
Brow Beat!
Once per scene, the character may turn a wound he

has taken into pure motivation. After the character
takes physical stress, spend a fate point and the
character gets to add the value of the Stress to an
action in the next exchange.
You can use Provoke in place of Empathy to learn

a targets aspects, by bullying them until they reveal
one to you. The target defends against this with Will.
(If the GM thinks the aspect is particularly vulnerable
to your hostile approach, you get a +2 bonus.)
Take the Blow
Provoke Violence
You can use Physique to defend against Fight and

Weapons skill attacks.
When you create an advantage on an opponent using

Provoke, you can use your free invocation to become
the target of that characters next relevant action,
drawing their attention away from another target.
Tough as Nails
Once per scene, at the cost of a fate point, you can
reduce the severity of a moderate consequence
thats physical in nature to a mild consequence (if
your mild consequence slot is free), or erase a mild
consequence altogether.
Provoke Stunts
Armor of Fear
You can use Provoke to defend against Fight attacks,
but only until the first time youre dealt stress in a
conflict. You can make your opponents hesitate to
attack, but when someone shows them that youre
only human your advantage disappears.
Doesnt Shut-Up
The character is constantly talking in combat,
cracking jokes and insulting his adversaries. When
using Provoke to create Situation Aspects on a target
to represent your loud mouth finally getting on their
nerves and causing them to make mistakes, you get
a +2 bonus to the roll.
Know the Mental Tricks

This character is just someone you dont want to
cross, and thats clear even to other intimidating folks.
Normally, Provoke attempts are resisted by Will; with
this stunt, the character can use his Provoke skill to
resist Provoke attempts.
Strange Charm
Your ability to get a rise out of people has somehow
caused you to be liked by people something that
is just plain strange to those who know you. You can
use Provoke in place of Rapport.
Unapproachable
Its difficult to try to manipulate someone when youre
constantly reminded of how scary they are. A character
with this stunt may use his Provoke in lieu of their Will
to defend against Rapport, Deceive, and Empathy.
Unnatural Aura
You can use Provoke to enter the kinds of contests
that youd normally need Physique for, whenever your
ability to psych your opponent out with the force of
your presence alone would be a factor.
Rapport Stunts
Best Foot Forward
Twice per session, you may upgrade a boost you
receive with Rapport into a full situation aspect with
a free invocation.
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Demagogue
You gain a +2 to Rapport when youre delivering
an inspiring speech in front of a crowd. (If there are
named NPCs or PCs in the scene, you may target
them all simultaneously with one roll rather than
dividing up your shifts.)
Man of Industry
Gain a +2 bonus to any attempt to overcome
obstacles with Rapport when youre at corporate
function, such as a trade show, board meeting, or
business related negotiation.
Popular
If youre in an area where youre popular and wellliked, you can use Rapport in place of Contacts.
You may be able to establish your popularity by
spending a fate point to declare a story detail, or
because of prior justification.
Seducer
Youre adept at catching the eye of the opposite sex,
and keeping it once youve got it. Any seduction
attempts you make with Rapport receive a +2
technique bonus provided the target is someone who
could be receptive to it (this is not always a simple
case of gender and preference).
Smooth Over
Youre adept at stepping into a bad situation and
dialing it down to something more reasonable. So
long as you are not the direct reason someone is
upset, your attempts to calm them down using your
Rapport receive a +2 bonus.
Resources Stunts
Grease the Wheels
Rather than go looking for something, one can
always just offer a reward. The character may spread
some money around and use Resources in lieu of
Contacts to attempt to find somebody or something.
He doesnt literally need to offer a reward, but it is
necessary that he make an obvious display of wealth
in some venue or another, preferably waving crisp
money in the face of people in the know (or people
who know people in the know). The downside of this
approach is that it tends to be highly public, at least
76
within some circles, and anyone interested will know

what the character is looking for.
Long Term Investment

Youve had your money for a while now, and youve
had a chance to make several strategic investments
which you can cash in on when pressed for money.
Once per session, you may sell one of these
investments to get a +2 to any one Resources roll, as
if you had spent a fate point to invoke an aspect.
Money Is No Object
(Requires Long Term Investment)
Once per session, when called on to roll Resources,
you may spend a fate point and simply act as if you
had rolled +4 on the dice. You may do this after the
fact on a roll, and further may combine this with the
effect from Long Term Investment to easily achieve
a result of your Resources +6, which is usually good
enough to purchase almost anything.
Money Talks
You can use Resources instead of Rapport in any
situation where ostentatious displays of material
wealth might aid your cause.
Savvy Investor
You get an additional free invoke when you create
advantages with Resources, provided that they
describe a monetary return on an investment you
made in a previous session. (In other words, you cant
retroactively declare that you did it, but if it happened
in the course of play, you get higher returns.)
Stealth Stunts
Face in the Crowd
You gain +2 to any Stealth roll to blend into a
crowd. What a crowd means will depend on the
environmenta subway station requires more people
to be crowded than a small bar.
Master of Shadows
Gain a +2 bonus to create an advantage using Stealth
whenever the situation specific has to do with using
darkness and shadows.
Move as One
Power Tech
Your talent with stealth may be extended to others

who are with you close by, provided that you travel
as a group. As long as the whole group stays with
you and follows your hushed orders, you may make
a single Stealth roll for the whole group, using your
skill alone. If someone breaks from the group, they
immediately lose this benefit, and may risk revealing
the rest of you if they dont manage to pull off a little
Stealth of their own. You cannot apply the benefits of
other stunts to this roll, though you may bring in your
own aspects (and possibly tag the aspects of those
you are concealing) in order to improve the result.
When using device based powers, you can roll your

Technology skill in place of the Power skill.
The maximum number of additional people in the

group is equal to your Stealth rating.
Professional Thief
Ninja Vanish
Once per scene, you can vanish while in plain sight by
spending a fate point, using a smoke pellet or other
mysterious technique. This places the Vanished
boost on you. While youre vanished, no one can
attack or create an advantage on you until after
theyve succeeded at an overcome roll with Notice
to determine where you went (basically meaning
they have to give up an exchange to try). This goes
away as soon as you invoke it, or someone makes
that overcome roll.
Thief Stunts
No Locks are Safe
You understand locks of all types as part of your
chosen career path. When attempting to pick a
lock, hack a security system, or disarm intruder
countermeasures, you gain +2 to the roll.
You understand the need to prepare for a heist and

case the place out, noting security measures, guard
rotations, location of valuables, and so forth. As long
as youve spent at least a day casing a place, then
when you decide to hit it for the theft, you gain +2 to
creating situation aspects related to the heist.
Master Thief
(Requires Professional Thief)
In addition to the +2 bonus to placing heist related
situation aspects, you also place an additional aspect
if you succeed with style.
Slippery Target
Security Expert
Provided youre in darkness or shadow, you can use

Stealth to defend against Accuracy attacks from
enemies that are at least one zone away.
Youve run into enough traps that youve developed

an instinct for avoiding them. You may roll Thief
instead of Notice or Investigate in order to uncover or
otherwise avoid stumbling onto a trap.
Strike from the Shadows

You can use Stealth to make physical attacks, provided
your target isnt already aware of your presence.
Technology Stunts
Master Inventor
You can create almost anything, even when you
dont have all the best tools or resources on hand.
The quality of your device being above the quality of
your work area does not increase your Opposition
unless the devices quality is at least +3 steps
higher. You still suffer the +3 to the Opposition at
that point, but you basically never suffer the +1 or
+2 Opposition increase.
Treatment Stunts
Doctor
When treating a patients physical consequence, you
gain a +2 bonus to your Treatment roll providing you
are within a medical facility (such as an infirmary)
equal in quality to the consequence being treated.
Field Medic
Once per conflict, you can treat someones Stress in
the middle of a battle, given a little bit of time (typically
a few rounds). Make a roll against the total value of
the Stress boxes you wish to heal. If successful, those
boxes clear. On a success with style, you place a boost
on your patient representing their renewed vigor.
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Example: A fellow hero has their 1-Stress,

2-Stress, and 4-Stress boxes filled in. You
decide to heal the 2-Stress and 4-Stress
boxes. The Treatment roll is made against
Fantastic (+6) Opposition.
Vehicles Stunts
Will Stunts
Indomitable
You gain +2 to defend against Provoke attacks
specifically related to intimidation and fear.
Hard to Shake
Iron Will
You get +2 to Vehicles whenever youre pursuing

another vehicle in a chase scene.
You can choose to ignore a mild or moderate

consequence for the duration of the scene. It
cant be compelled against you or invoked by your
enemies. At the end of the scene it comes back
worse, though; if it was a mild consequence it
becomes a moderate consequence, and if it was
already moderate, it becomes severe.
Pedal to the Metal

You can coax more speed out of your vehicle than
seems possible. Whenever youre engaged in any
contest where speed is the primary factor (such as
a chase or race of some kind) and you tie with your
Vehicles roll, its considered a success.
Weapons Stunts
Riposte
Whenever you are physically attacked by an opponent
at melee distance, and you successfully defend
yourself using Weapons, you immediately inflict
1-Stress on your opponent (in addition to any normal
benefits, such as a Boost, from the Defend action).
Strength From
Determination
Use Will instead of Physique on any overcome rolls
representing feats of strength.
Special Stunts
The following stunts are either agnostic of any
particular skill, or can be assigned to several types of
skills. In the case of the latter, the stunt must be taken
separately for each skill it applies to.
Turnabout
Arsenal
(Requires Riposte)
You begin the game with a small arsenal to wage

your war on crime. You begin play with Kevlar armor
and four types of guns or melee weapons. Unlike
weapons or armor purchased as part of a power
set (see: Devices and Gear), each of these has a
gear based Complication that the GM can compel.
When compelled, the weapon or armor is lost until
the beginning of the next issue. Note that this is not
the same as placing a Disarmed aspect on someone,
which is covered in the Comic Book Action chapter.
You have a singular ability to turn an opponents

action into an advantage for yourself.
Whenever you succeed with style on a Defend
action using Weapons, you immediately deal the
Shifts from your roll as damage to your opponent
(in addition to any normal benefits, such as a boost,
from the Defend action).
Weapon Blur
Your weapon is a blur of movement, confusing your
opponent. You may use Weapons instead of Deceive
when performing a feint.
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Backup Weapon
Whenever someones about to hit you with a Disarmed
situation aspect or something similar, spend a fate
point to declare you have a backup weapon. Instead
of a situation aspect, your opponent gets a boost,
representing the momentary distraction you suffer for
having to switch.
Crimefighting Vehicle
You have a specially designed ground or air vehicle
to assist in fighting for justice. Choose one type of
vehicle and add 5-points worth of Device Special
Effects to it. Each time this stunt is taken, you can
choose another vehicle, or add an additional 5-points
to an existing vehicle.
Defensive Fighter
Youre adept at fighting defensively. Once per conflict
you gain +2 to a Defend action as though you
assumed a Full Defense, but can still make an attack.
Defensive Penetration
Youre trained in getting through an opponents
defenses. Once per conflict whenever someone
uses a Full Defense against you, they do not receive
the +2 bonus.
Killing Stroke
Once per issue, when you force an opponent to
take a consequence, you can spend a fate point to
increase the consequences severity (so mild becomes
moderate, moderate becomes severe). If your opponent
was already going to take a severe consequence, he
must either take a severe consequence and a second
consequence or be taken out.
Personal Headquarters
You have a headquarters or lair of some sort. Each
time this stunt is taken, you receive 5 Headquarter
Points with which to build your base of operations.
Work Area
Instead of a full headquarters, you only have a work
area for inventing or research, and the type must be
defined when this stunt is taken: Infirmary, Laboratory,
Library, Workshop (Mystic or Technology). Each time
this stunt is taken, your designated work area gain +1
quality rating, beginning at Average (+1).
Aspect Stunts
Aspect stunts are a special type of stunt that are tied
to one of your character aspects. You may only have
one aspect stunt.
Aspect stunts follow the normal stunt creation rules,
except that they offer the equivalent of a 3-Shift benefit.
Aspect stunts should also be limited use (such as once
per conflict, scene, or issue), and should always cost a
fate point to use. Below are a few examples of how to
use Aspect stunts in your series.
Because I am the Strongest One On Earth, once
per conflict I can spend a fate point in combat against
any opponent who has hurt me or challenged my
strength. My next successful hit against them does
an extra 3-shifts of damage.
If the stunt seems a bit more powerful, consider
adding additional restrictions to it, such as the one in
the below example on what happens when an extra
suit of Power-Armor Concedes a conflict.
Because I am a Billionaire Technological Genius,
once per issue I can spend a fate point to switch out
my current Power-Armor power set for a new version,
but the total cost of the power set cannot change. The
new version lasts until the end of the current issue,
or until Taken Out. Conceding in a conflict with the
secondary armor means it is Taken Out and cannot
be used again.
Because This is My City, I have hidden safe houses
scattered throughout it. Once per issue, I can spend
a fate point to have a nearby safe house to duck into
worth 5 Headquarters Points. The safe house lasts
until the end of the issue.
The quality of your work area cannot be higher than

your Resources skill, unless you make one of your
character aspects represent the organization, person,
or some type of benefactor that built it for you.
79
Chapter 9:Powers
Powers are what separate the heroes from the
everyday people. Some can move at super-human
speeds or soar through the skies. Others can pass
through solid objects as if they were vapor. Some
have claws that pop from their hands, or energy
beams that fire from their eyes.
Before getting into the meat of the powers weve already
built for you, lets take a look at how powers function
and how to purchase those included in the book.
Understanding Powers
All powers in Daring Comics follow a basic format.
The power is either activated by the Controlling skill
(Magic, Mental, or Power), or uses a skill such as
Fight, Accuracy, or Athletics.
Each power entry also lists its effects in play, and
sometimes offers special effects or limits specifically
designed for that power that can be purchased to
further customize it.
Power Levels
Some powers come in variable power levels,
representing the vertical potency we see in comic
books. Powers such as Melee Attack, Blast, and
Invulnerability can have different power levels when
purchased, whereas powers like Air Control, Mind
Control, and Chameleon only have a single power
level and rely more strongly upon the controlling skill
roll for success.
Skills and Powers

There are a wide range of powers, and how they
operate alongside the skills will vary. Some powers
require one of the controlling skills to function at
all. The character need not have the skill in the skill
column; it just defaults to Mediocre (+0) as normal.
Spending points in the power is enough to possess
it, though such a character obviously has no solid
training in it yet.
Other powers will enhance or use a normal skill youre
likely to already have in the column. Blast uses the
Accuracy skill to function, while Melee Attack uses
Fight. Chameleon not only uses the Deceive skill, but
provides a bonus to it as well.
80
Each power entry lists the relevant skill at the top,

beneath the name, and further explains any special
uses within the powers description.
Power Rolls and Shifts

Unlike rolls for normal skill rolls and actions in Daring
Comics (see Chapter 11: Actions and Outcomes), the
specific number of Shifts rolled when using a power
sometimes play an important part in how that power
functions. Pay attention to the powers description
to determine whether or not the number of Shifts
achieved on a roll have a specific mechanical function
beyond the basic tie, success, or success with style
outcomes.

While each power has a base effect (or few effects)
that it can do, special effects are enhancements you
can purchase to expand the scope of your power. At
its most basic, a Blast power simply does its Weapon
Rating in damage. But apply the Demolishing or
Concussive special effects, and youve just changed
the scope and capabilities of your attack.
Special effects do not always have to be used. You
can choose whether or not they are currently active
each time you use the power.
Special effects add to the cost of the power. If the
power has variable levels, the special effect is added
to the total cost of the power, not the per-level cost.
Likewise, limits restrict your power in some ways.
Perhaps it cant be used against a common element,
or each use causes damage to the character. Limits
reduce the cost of a power. Like with special effects,
it reduces the total cost of the power, not the cost perlevel. A powers cost can never drop below 1-point.
The Power Set

Each power you purchase is going to be placed into
a power set, which represents a grouping of powers
that function under a single theme or source.
Lets look at an example. A character that can turn
into flame might have a power set called: Human
Flame. Within that power set, hed likely have: Flame
Aura, Flame Control, Flame Blast, Flight, plus any
appropriate special effects and limits.
Any powers that were not part of his Human Flame

ability would be placed into a different power set.
or reroll to the action just as you would for any aspect

on your sheet.
Stunts can also be placed into power sets if they

represent something specific about a power in the set,
or the set as a whole. For example, a street vigilante
highly trained in Martial Arts might have a series of
stunts related to fighting under a single power set
called: Extreme Martial Training. Likewise, if he was
also a master detective, he might have a series of
stunts related to finding clues, analyzing evidence,
and drawing deductions under a power set called:
Master Detective.
Likewise, if you had Claws, you could spend a fate

point and invoke the power set aspect on an Athletics
based Defend action against a projectile attack. Not
only would you gain the normal +2 to the roll (or a
reroll), but you would also be saying that your claws
are a direct part of your Defend action. What that
means is you get to narrate how youre using the
claws and your athletic ability to cut the projectiles
out of the air.
In another example, a speedster might add the

Accuracy stunt: Any Object is a Bullet, to his superspeed power set to represent being able to throw any
small object at a high velocity.
Whether or not normal stunts are applied to a
power set is really a matter of the narrative youre
going for, and in many cases will come down to
a character concept choice of placing the stunts
directly under normal skills, or making them
effects of a power set. If the stunts speak about
the core of the character, especially if they are also
represented by the characters Concept aspect,
then placing them into a power set should be a
definite consideration. Especially since each power
set also gets an aspect of its own.
The Power Set Aspect

Each power set on your character sheet should have
an aspect that represents something about it. It can
be a descriptive phrase such as Hot as the Core
of the Sun, or one that says something about your
characters use of the powers, such as: No Stone
Unturned for a power set comprised of stunts to aid
in criminal investigations.
The power set aspect serves a couple of
purposes in play.
1) Once per scene, the power set aspect can be
invoked at no cost to allow a reroll for any action using
a power in that set. You cannot take the +2 option for
this free invocation, only a reroll of the dice.
2) The power set aspect can be invoked normally by
spending a fate point on any action where it would
make sense, even if the action isnt actually using
the power set.
You could invoke the aspect for a direct use of the
power, such as invoking it when attacking with the
power sets blast power, thereby gaining the +2 bonus
3) The power set aspect can be compelled the same

as any other aspect, which is another avenue to
earning fate points.
Power Origins
Some powers affect an entire power source,
such as technological, magic, mutant, and
so forth. Although in some cases, such as
a spell caster or an power-armored hero,
the source of the characters powers are
obvious, in other cases a little explanation
might be necessary. Ideally, a power sets
source should be worked into the Power Set
aspect. If that doesnt work out, however,
thats fine. Simply make a note somewhere
on the character sheet next to the power set
as to what type of power source fuels it.
Power Stunts
Power stunts are a staple of comic books. A hero or
villain pushes their ability to use the power in a new
and unique way. In game terms, power stunts are
basically using a different power or special effect as
an off-shoot of a power you already possess, when
using that effect makes narrative sense. Naturally, the
GM has final approval on any uses of power stunts.
To perform a power stunt, declare what the effect is
that you are going for, what power you are using, and
what different power or special effect best represents
that effect. If the GM approves it, you then must spend
a fate point to even make the attempt. Next, you roll
the appropriate skill in an Overcome action against
a Fair (+2) opposition. If the power stunt uses more
than one power or special effect to achieve its goal,
the opposition is increased +1 for each additional
power or special effect. For each Shift generated on
the roll, you get to use the power stunt for one round.
81
Example #1:
Foxtrot is taking on a room
full of Typhon soldiers and
wants to use his energy blast
to create an area wide daze.
Although he could go for
just the Area Effect special
effect and use the Create an
Advantage action to make
the Dazed situation aspect
like normal, he really wants to
set these guys up to go down.
He decides to apply both the
Advantageous (Daze) and
Area Effect special effects as
the power stunt.
The GM approves it, so Foxtrot
spends a fate point and rolls
against Good (+3) opposition
(the opposition received a +1
since the player is trying to
generate two effects with the
stunt: Advantageous (Daze)
and Area Effect). He generates
2-Shifts, so he gains the power
stunt for two rounds before he
would have to spend a fate point
to attempt it again.
Example #2:
Cryoborg wants to fire his
Ice Blast at the floor beneath
the feet of some criminals to
make it slippery. The player
and GM determine that
would constitute a use of the
Friction Control power.
The power stunt can succeed at a cost, which means
something will go wrong and you only get one use (or
one round) of the power stunt.
Aspects can be invoked as normal to assist with the roll.
Performing a power stunt counts as a free action, so
the player can both get the stunt and use it in the
same round. Any rolls the new power requires to use,
however, counts as a normal action. So, if a character
received an Energy Blast as a power stunt, the roll
to perform the power stunt was free, but the roll to
actually use the Energy Blast is his normal action.
82
Cryoborg spends a fate point

and rolls against Fair (+2) Opposition. He gets
1-Shift, so only gets to use Friction Control
for one round before hell have to attempt the
power stunt all over again.
Sometimes, a power doesnt use a controlling skill, or
the effect isnt directly related to a specific power. In
that case, the player and GM only need to work out
the details, but the mechanics work exactly the same.
Example #1:
Mach-1 has Super-Speed, and wants to use
his power to vibrate his molecules enough to
pass through a solid wall. The GM decides
that would be similar to the Intangible power,

so allows it. Super-Speed doesnt use a
controlling skill, however it typically applies
to Athletics. The GM figures that vibrating
his molecules is still the ability to control his
bodys movements, so decides that Athletics
will also apply to the power stunt.
The player spends a fate point and rolls Athletics
against Fair (+2) opposition. Unfortunately, he
only ties with the opposition and is out of fate
points to invoke any aspects. He asks the GM
if he can succeed at a minor cost, which the
GM approves. He tells the player that Mach1 takes a little extra time to pass through the
wall, so hell lose his next action.
Example #2:
Phalanx has Flight 4 and wants to create
a whirlwind to blow some villains around,
basically preventing them from attacking
anyone this round. The GM decides that it
makes sense and is something thats been
done in comics. He rules that itll be a form
of grapple, and that not only will the Shifts
on the roll determine how long he can do it
before he has to spend a second fate point to
try the Stunt again, but that his Shifts will also
serve as the passive opposition for any of the
criminals to get beyond the boundaries of his
vortex. He also decides that, like with Mach-1
and Super-Speed, itll use the Athletics skill.
The player spends the fate point and rolls
Athletics against Fair (+2) opposition and gets
3-Shifts. Not only will can he use the whirlwind
effect for three rounds, but any attempts to
escape it faces Good (+3) passive opposition
If the power stunt would involve gaining access to
a power with multiple power levels, the power stunt
has an effective Power Level 1. Shifts generated on
the roll can be divided between increasing the power
level and the base number of rounds it can be used.
When doing so, however, at least 1-Shift must be put
into the single round of time.
Foxtrot is about to be hit by a nasty energy
blast. He narrates how hes quickly recalibrating
the energy flow from his Energy Blast to have
his gauntlets create a low-yield forcefield to
(hopefully) stop the attack.
The GM agrees, and the player goes for the
attempt. He gets 3-Shifts on the roll. Since
Forcefield automatically starts with a Power

Level 1, and he only expects to use it for one
round, he decides to put 2-Shifts into the
power level, raising it to Forcefield 3. The
final 1-Shift he had to keep aside for the one
round of use.
Finally, if applicable, extra Shifts generated on the roll
can be used as a bonus to using the actual power, or
as a bonus to the opposition for anyone resisting it,
instead of allowing for extra rounds of usage. This is
entirely up to the player, as long as 1-Shift is kept put
aside for the one round of use.
When creating the whirlwind and getting
3-Shifts on the roll, Phalanx could have
decided to use it for only one round, and
use the remaining 2-Shifts to increase the
opposition to get out of the vortex from Good
(+3) to Superb (+5).
Stacking Damage and

Damage Mitigation
When using powers, regardless of source, which offer
their own Weapon Rating or Armor Rating, the ratings
do not stack. Take the highest rating and use that.
Example #1
Adamantia has Super-Strength 4, and picks up
a sword with Weapon Rating 2 and the Potent
improvement. Since her Super-Strength also
gives her Weapon Rating 4, she uses that
instead of the swords Weapon Rating. She
can, however, still use the Potent improvement
that the sword offers.
Example #2
Phalanx has Invulnerability 6 and is disguised
as one of Typhons soldiers, which means
he is wearing armor with an Armor 3 rating.
Although Phalanx gets any Deceive benefits
from the disguise, hell use Invulnerability 6 to
mitigate any damage. That armor does nothing
for him in that regard.
The GM might rule that the armor is damaged if
the absorbed Hits are more than its own Armor 3
rating, but that is more of a narrative judgement
call as opposed to creating hardwired rules for
such things that may not benefit the style of
every group. Such damage might even lower
the bonus granted to any future Deceive rolls, or
the GM might place a suitable situation aspect
on Phalanx representing the damaged armor
83
that can be invoked, compelled, and might be

removed with a successful Technology skill roll
to repair it.
Physical and Mental Damage

Most attacks will track damage along the targets
normal stress track. Mental and mystical assaults,
such as Mental Blast, a Psychic Blade (Melee Attack),
Eldritch Bolt or Blade, and so forth, normally track
along the Mental Stress track. Theres nothing that
says your Mental Blast cant cause actual, physical
damage to the targets body, though. Its just a matter
of flavor, and taking your power to affect one stress
track or the other is not an increase in cost. Just make
a note which track it affects when you take the power.
Purchasing Powers
To purchase a power, look at the cost next to the
name of the power. It will either be a flat cost, such as
(2), meaning it costs two points to have the power; or
it will have a variable cost, such (1-6), meaning that
it costs 1-point per power level, and has a limit of six
power levels for a total of 6-points.
Next, decide what, if any, special effects that you
want for the power. The cost of each special effect is
added to the total cost of the power, not per power
level, if the power has variable levels.
Then decide what, if any, Limits the power would
have. Each Limit reduces the total cost of the power
by 1-point, to a minimum cost of 1-point.
Dylan decides he wants the Invulnerability
power at level 4, giving him a cost of 4-points.
From there, he decides to add on the Highly
Impervious special effect for 2-points, giving
the power a 6-point cost. Finally, he decides
that although the character is pretty tough,
each time he is hit by something that can
actually damage him (meaning Weapon Rating
5 or higher), he loses one level of Invulnerability
until he can rest and recover it. He applies that
as Limit for a 1 cost reduction.
Since losing Invulnerability levels also means
hes losing access to the Highly Impervious
special effect, Dylan and the GM decide to
apply an additional 1 cost to the power.
His final cost for the power is 4-points.
84
Powers List
In the pages ahead, youll find a robust list of powers
weve already made for youover 100 powers, and
nearly as many special effects and limits to customize
your powers with. Simply purchase the powers and
any special effects or limits, spend your points, and
start playing.
At the end of the powers section, we also provide
you with guidelines on how to create your own unique
powers, special effects, and limitations.
Each power is broken down into the following format:
Name (Cost, either flat or per power level)
Relevant Skills
Description of core effects
Unique Special Effects
Unique Limits
Under the Hood:

Power Activation and
Overcome Actions
Many power descriptions call for an
Overcome action to activate the effect, also
noted as a skill roll, a roll against passive
opposition, and so forth so we didnt bore
you by repeating the same phrase over and
over again between powers. The opposition
for such rolls, unless it had to be assigned
by design, is left open to the GM. Typically,
it should be a Mediocre (+0) opposition, but
its also important that the GM be able to
assign an opposition that factors in all of the
relevant situations in a scene, even before
any aspects might be invoked to further
increase the difficulty.
As with any Overcome action, unless
specifically stated otherwise, the rolls can
succeed at a minor or major cost, and a
success with style also grants a Boost in
addition to whatever other benefits the power
might grant.
Absorption (2,4,6)
Skills: None
The character can absorb either energy or physical
(kinetic) damage from attacks, which is chosen when
this power is taken.
For each level in Absorption, 2-hits worth of damage
are negated from incoming attacks of the chosen type.
Additionally, for each 2-Hits absorbed (round up), the
character gains a +1 to Attack and Overcome actions
on his next turn when using the absorbed energy in
some way. Energy that is not used dissipates after the
characters next turn.
Absorption can be purchased up to Power Level
3, for 6-hits of negation and +3 to Attack and
Overcome actions.
Special Effects
Absorption Healing (2): You can use the Hits of
absorbed energy to immediately heal an equal number
of stress boxes or an equal severity consequence. If
you have both Stress and Consequence, you must
heal the Stress first.
Accumulate Energy (2): Instead of having to use
the absorbed energy or losing it, the character can
accumulate and store it for a number of extra turns
equal to his Power Level. Each turn the energy is
accumulated adds an additional +1 to his Attack and
Overcome actions. So, a character with Absorption
3, for example, could store the energy for three
additional turns, and unleash it at a whopping +6 to
his Attack or Overcome action.
Energy Sponge (1): The character can make an
Overcome action to absorb ambient energy of his
chosen type from the environment (if it exists). Treat
this as a normal Overcome action, so it can succeed
at a cost. If successful, the character absorbs his
powers normal absorption rating. On a success with
style, he creates a Boost as normal.
Power Boost (3): The character can use the absorbed
energy to increase the Power Levels of another
power, even one he does not normally possess (in
essence, using the absorbed energy to activate the
power). The exact power that can be boosted must
be chosen when this special effect is taken, and
multiple applications of this special effect apply to
different powers.
Instead of gaining a bonus to Attack and Overcome
actions, the character can use the energy to gain
a number of Power Levels in the power, up to the

number of Hits he absorbed.
So, a character with Absorption 3 that absorbs 6-Hits
worth of damage, can forego the +3 bonus he would
have received to instead get 6-points to boost a power
with. Naturally, a power gained in this way cannot
have more Power Levels than it would normally be
able to possess. Special Effects can be applied to the
power by splitting the bonus between Power Levels
and Special Effects cost.
If an existing power is increased through Power
Boost, the power still cannot exceed the normal
Power Level cap for the power. Likewise, the bonus
from Absorption can be used to apply Special Effects
to an already existing power.
(Yes, this special effect also means that the energy
can be directed into the Blast power, thereby gaining
a Weapon Rating instead of a bonus to the attack roll.)
The transferred power lasts for a number of rounds
equal to Absorptions Power Level, or until the power
is emitted from the character, such as with a blast.
Vanguardian uses his energy shield to absorb an
incoming energy attack. He absorbs 5-Hits, and
gets a +3 to his Attack and Overcome actions.
Since he has Power Boost (Energy Blast) he
decides to pump the 5-points into a blast.
He makes it Weapon 3 rating, and places
two points into the Area Effect and Set-Up
special effects.
Limits
Living Bomb (1): The same as Self Damaging,
except the exploding energy damages the character
and everyone within the same zone.
Requires Block (1): The ability to absorb the attack
requires you to successfully Defend against the attack.
This might be because your power is contained with a
shield, sword, or some other type of object that must
be positioned between you and the attacker.
Roll Defend as normal. If you fail, you take the full
damage and absorb none of it. If you succeed,
you absorb the Weapon Rating of the attack (or
the Absorption limit, whichever is lower). You get
the normal Boost against your opponent for a
success with style.
Vanguardian must absorb an incoming energy
blast using his shield. The attacker rolls a total
of Fair (+2) on the attack roll, and Vanguardian
85
rolls a Superb (+5), for a success with style. He

has Absorption 6, and the attacker had Energy
Blast 3. Vanguardian absorbs the Weapon 3
rating of the attack, plus gets to place a Boost
on his opponent.
If Vanguardian had failed the Defend action,
he would have taken the full damage.
Self-Damaging (1): Instead of simply dissipating,
the energy explodes within the character if not used,
causing Stress equal to the amount of energy absorbed.
Because the damage comes from inside the character,
Invulnerability does not negate the damage.
Specific Energy (1): You can only absorb a specific
type of energy, such as fire, ice, radiation, and so
forth, chosen when this limit is taken.
Boosting Powers
If the hero can boost more than one power
through multiple applications of the Power
Boost special effect, then in a single round
he can only either place the absorbed bonus
into a single power or split it between the
powers he wishes to temporarily increase.
Adaptation (2)
Skills: None
The hero is able to adapt to hostile environments.
Some examples include allowing him to grow gills
in water, change his lungs to breathe a poisonous
atmosphere, or even gain immunity to fire and heat if
in a volcanic environment.
After one minute in the environment, the hero gains
a temporary aspect representing the appropriate
situational immunities.
After the hero leaves the environment, the
changes revert to normal (he loses the aspect)
within a few minutes.
Special Effects
Rapid Adaptation (1): Your body adapts faster to
hostile environments. Each time this applied to the
power, your time to adapt is reduced 1 step on the
Time Increment table.
86

Skills: Magic, Mental, or Power
Youre able to mimic the movement such as
fighting ability, acrobatics, and so forth of people
youve observed.
To use the power, you must first observe the target in
action (such as in combat) for at least a full minute.
Then, make an Overcome action. The hero gains
one temporary aspect for each Shift generated on
the roll, and gets one free invocation (in total, not per
aspect). To gain additional free invocations, Shifts
can be used to gainadditional invocations instead of
new aspects aspects.
If you are watching a group of people, your attention
is not as focused and your opposition to mimic them
increases by +1 per each additional person.
The aspects last until the end of the scene
Night Sentinel is watching a battle between
Sure-Shot and the villain Carrionette that
is going badly for the hero. He spends a
minute watching Sure-Shot jump and flip,
and use nearby small objects as highly
accurate projectiles.
After the minute, Night Sentinel rolls against
the GM determined opposition and gains
4-Shifts. He decides to create two temporary
aspects called Olympic Level Gymnast and
Any Object is a Weapon, representing what
hes seen Sure-Shot do. He gets one free
invocation for free, so applies the remaining
2-Shifts to two additional free invocations, for
three in total.
Special Effects
Advanced Muscle Memory (1): You can view and
mimic your target faster. Each time this applied to
the power, your required time to view the target is
reduced 1 step on the Time Increment table.
Rapid Power (1): The roll to use the power counts as
a free action instead of a normal action.
Adrenaline Surge (1)

Skills: Will
The hero gains a boost to a particular skill, chosen
when this power is taken, once a specific trigger
is activated, such as being angered, frightened,
stressful, and so forth.
To activate the trigger, the hero must take a Create

an Advantage action using Will. Success or better
means an aspect is placed on the hero representing
the trigger (with normal free invocations). To eliminate
the trigger (such as calming the hero down if Angered
was the trigger), those attempting to do so must make
an appropriate roll against opposition equal to the
Shifts the hero achieved when activating the trigger.
The aspect, meanwhile, can be invoked and
compelled normally.
Once the trigger is activated, the hero gains a
cumulative +1 to the chosen skill each subsequent
round, up to a maximum +4 increase.
Once the triggering condition is eliminated, the
character immediately takes Stress equal to the total
increase he received, and the skill loses 1 per round
until it returns to normal.
Special Effects
Additional Skill (1): For each extra point of cost, the
character has an additional skill increased by the
activation of the trigger.
Affliction (7)
Your character can infect others with disease or
poison. To infect the target, make a skill roll opposed
by the targets Physique (or Will for a unique type
of mystic or psychic disease). Each Shift generated
counts as the attack skill for your disease. If you tie,
your disease has Mediocre (+0) skill.
Once infected, the target gains a temporary aspect
related to the type of illness. As long as the aspect
remains, theyre attacked by the disease on the
following exchange. Since this is an internal attack,
Invulnerability does not negate damage from
the disease, but Immunity and Regeneration do
work normally. Damage from the disease causes
Consequences, not Stress.
The disease can be cured through the application

of the Treatment skill or the Healing power by rolling
against opposition equal to the Attack skill rating of
disease to remove the aspect. Consequences gained
from the disease must be healed separately.
Air Control (2)

Your character can control air and winds. You gain
+2 to the roll when creating situation aspects using
your power.
You can create zone barriers made of air by making
an Overcome action. This represents intense winds
that prevent others from passing through. To get
through, they must make an Overcome action
(typically Physique with any Super-Strength related
bonuses) against opposition equal to the number of
Shifts you generated.
Special Effects
Ultimate Control (1): If you create a situation aspect
against a specific target then, for each free invoke
you choose to sacrifice, you may instead cause the
target 1-Stress as you use your winds to pound into
them with near physical force, or even move the air
out of their lungs to asphyxiate them. Invulnerability
or Immunity (such as to suffocation) negates the
damage as normal. The Special Effect can only be
used once per scene.
Summoning and
Succeeding at a Cost
If the summoning based powers (Animal
Control, Animate, Duplication, Summon,
and Summon Swarm) succeeded at a cost,
it means the hero gained 1-Shift on the
roll, and should suffer some sort of setback
from the strain. For example, succeeding
at a minor cost might cause 2-Stress, while
succeeding at a major cost might cause a
Mild Consequence.
Each day after the initial attack, the disease attacks the
target again, and will continue to do so until it is defeated.
If the victim is Taken Out or concedes, he is dead.
Animal Control (4)
If the disease fails the attack roll, the character takes

no damage that day. Once the disease fails two
attacks in a row, the characters immune system has
beaten it and he is no longer infected.
The hero can control nearby animals (usually no more

than one zone away) by making an Overcome action.
Taking control of animals further away causes a +1 to
the opposition per additional zone.
87
If successful, the Shifts gained on the roll are used

to control one or more ranks of animal allies, with a
single member of each rank costing an equal number
of Shifts. For example, if the hero gained 4-Shifts
on the roll, he could choose to summon four Rank
1 animals, two Rank 2 animals, one Rank 3 and one
Rank 1 animal, or any other combination.
The animals cannot act until the round after they are
summoned. All animals operate as Nameless NPCs.
Rank 1: The animals are Average quality. They have
one or two Aspects, one or two Average (+1) skills,
and no stress boxes a one shift hit is enough to
take them out.
Rank 2: The animals are Fair quality. Give them one or
two or Aspects, one Fair (+2), and one or two Average
(+1) skills, and one stress box each a two shift hit is
enough to take one of them out.
Rank 3: The animals are Good quality, with one or
two Aspects, one Good (+3), one Fair (+2), and one or
two Average (+1) skills, and two stress boxes each
a three shift hit is enough to take one of them out.
The animals automatically have any powers they
would normally possess as a species (so, a bird would
have Flight and maybe Claws for a talon attack). They
are controlled by the player, act on the characters
initiative beginning the round after control is gained,
and the control lasts until Taken Out or the end of
the scene. Controlling them longer than a single
scene without making an additional skill roll requires
spending one fate point per additional scene.
Special Effect
Ready to Rumble (1): The animals act as soon as
they are summoned.
Swarm: (2): The hero can choose to summon a swarm
of small animals or insects, such as Wasps, Rats, and
so forth. Multiply the number of Shifts gained on the
roll by five to determine the number of animals in the
swarm. So, gaining 3-Shifts on the roll summons a
swarm of 15 creatures. Divide the swarm into groups
of 5 (if possible) for the purpose of actions, and treat
them as a mob. The summoned swarm is Rank 1 and
cannot be increased.
Animal Mimicry (2)

You can mimic the abilities of one animal at a time, up
to one zone away, by making an Overcome action.
88
Add +1 to the opposition for each additional zone

between the animal and the character.
You gain one temporary aspect for each Shift
generated on the roll, and get one free invocation
(in total, not per aspect). To gain additional free
invocations, Shifts can be used to acquire additional
free invocations instead of gaining additional aspects.
The aspects last until the end of the scene, and should
represent something from the particular animal, such
as fly like a bird, strike with sharp talons, eyes of
an aerial hunter, strength of an elephant, or speed
of a horse.
The aspects are assumed to carry the appropriate
narrative context along with them, such as using fly
like a bird to fly through the air, or eyes of an aerial
hunter to pick out small details at a distance.
Special Effects
Menagerie (1): The character can mimic the traits of
more than one animal at a time, but each additional
animal imposes a cumulative +1 to the opposition.
Animate (5)
You can cause normally inanimate objects to spring
to life and do your bidding, whether drawn images,
furniture, plants, or some other inanimate form. The
exact type of animation must be chosen when the
power is purchased.
To animate the creatures, make an Overcome action.
If successful, the Shifts gained on the roll are used to
create one or more ranks of animated allies, with a
single member of each rank costing an equal number
of Shifts. For example, if the hero gained 5-Shifts
on the roll, he could choose to summon five Rank 1
animations, two Rank 2 and one Rank 1 animations,
one Rank 3 and one Rank 2 animation, or any other
combination.
The animated objects cannot act until the round after
they are summoned. All minions operate as Nameless
NPCs.
Rank 1: The animations are Average quality. They
have one or two Aspects, one or two Average (+1)
skills, and no stress boxes a one shift hit is enough
to take them out.
Rank 2: Your animated objects are Fair quality. Give

them one or two or Aspects, one Fair (+2), and one or
two Average (+1) skills, and one stress box each a
two shift hit is enough to take one of them out.
Rank 3: The animations are Good quality minions.
They have one or two Aspects, one Good (+3), one
Fair (+2), and one or two Average (+1) skills, and two
stress boxes each a three shift hit is enough to take
one of them out.
All animations of the same type of object must possess
the same Aspects and skills between them, and all of
them act on the controlling characters initiative.
The animated objects remain until destroyed or the
end of the scene, whichever happens first. To extend
their use beyond a single scene, the character must
spend one fate point per extra scene.
Animated objects and super-powers: Animated
objects typically possess any powers that a normal,
living counterpart would possess (if there is a
counterpart). For example, an animated drawing of a
bird would possess Flight 1 and maybe Melee Attack
(talons) 1.
Things get a little trickier when animating machines
or heavy objects. If the animated object would have
damage resistance, give it Invulnerability based on its
Material Strength. This is not a hard rule, but is simply
a guideline for narrative context.
Material
Strength
Invulnerability
Power level
Wood, Aluminum
Brick
Concrete
Stone
Reinforced Concrete
Iron
Steel
Reinforced Steel
Super-Alloys
Diamond
Special, Animate Dead: Animating the dead uses

the same rules as per any other type of animation with
the following addition: when animating the corpses of
dead super-beings, the minions possess the powers
they had in life. Whether or not they are able to use
any mental powers (such as Telepathy, Mind Control,
and so forth) depends on the context of the campaign
and whether or not such living dead retain enough
brain function.
To animate a corpse as a Named NPC, with the full
Aspects, Skills, and Powers it possessed in life, the
character must make an Overcome action against
a Great (+4) opposition. Doing so requires great
concentration and power, and only one such corpse
can be under the characters control at a time.
Although the character still controls the corpse, it acts
on its own initiative and begins with zero fate points.
Animating such beings is not to be taken lightly. If
the GM feels the animated dead would seek freedom,
the GM can spend a fate point to allow the corpse a
chance to break free. Treat this as a Challenge, with
the two locked in a test of the corpses Will versus
the controlling power. If the animated corpse wins,
the Named NPC is no longer under the characters
control. This means that depending on the context
of the Series, the corpse might actually become a full
Undead, exist on its own beyond the single scene,
and require a separate storyline to find a way to
destroy it.
Special Effect
Ready to Rumble (1): The animated objects act as
soon as they are summoned.
Armory Summoning (4)

You can summon unique weapons or armor out of
thin air by making a skill roll. Each Shift generated
on the roll is used to decide the Weapon or Armor
Rating and pay for any special effects for the power.
Applying Limits to the weapon or armor refunds
points, as normal.
Barrage has the ability to summon various
types of guns out of thin air. She makes a roll
and gets 4-Shifts, creating a rifle. She decides
to give it the Dangerous special effect, which
normally costs two points. That gives her rifle a
Weapon Rating 2, but once per scene she can
spend a fate point to cause the target to take a
Moderate Consequence instead of stress.
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Special Effects
Dual Weapons (1):
You can summon a
pair of single-handed
weapons, such as
two knives, two short
swords, or two pistols.
Dual wielding grants
you +1 to the Attack
action or Create an
Advantage
action
when
having
two
weapons would apply
to the situation aspect.
Rapid Power (1): The
roll to use the power
counts as a free action
instead of a normal
action.
Astral
Projection
(1)
Skills: None
Later, she rolls to summon some armor. This

time she spends a fate point to invoke an
appropriate aspect, and gets 5-Shifts. She
decides to summon a suit with Armor 3 rating,
and uses the remaining 2-Shifts to apply
both the Durable and Low Impervious special
effects.
The weapon or armor remains until you dismiss it or
you are Taken Out. You can allow other characters to
use it, but you cannot summon a new piece until you
dismiss the current one.
To summon more than one type of weapon or armor
at a time, you must purchase the power multiple
times or divide your Shifts.
90
The hero can separate

his astral form from his
body, leaving behind
an unconscious shell.
The astral form can
pass through hostile
physical environments
and barriers as if they
did not exist, and
cannot be harmed
by physical entities
(except with powers
derived from a mental or mystical power source), but
also cannot affect the physical world. The hero can,
however, be attacked and harmed normally by other
astral and spiritual entities. Damage taken when in
astral form carries over to the physical body, but
always affects the mental stress track.
Astral heroes can make themselves visible and
communicate to a corporeal hero at will. Otherwise,
corporeal heroes trying to sense an astral form must
make an Overcome action, providing they have a
sensory power that would allow them to do so.
When the astral form is separated from the body,
the body can still be attacked and harmed. The
astral form will know immediately if the body suffers
damage. Reentering the body is automatic whenever

the character wishes to do so. If something is blocking
the hero from reaching his body, he cannot reenter his
corporeal form without taking the appropriate action
(usually an Overcome action) to get past the obstacle.
If the body is destroyed or killed, the hero will remain
trapped as a free spirit.
Aura (3)
Skills: None
The hero is surrounded by some sort of field or aura
that damages those who come into contact with it.
Whenever the hero successfully defends against a
melee attack (typically hand-to-hand), the attacker
takes 2-hits of damage. Additionally, if your Defend
action succeeded with style, you can spend a fate
point to place an aspect on the target instead of a
Boost. The aspect must represent your aura. Some
examples are: Burning Skin for a fire aura, Shocked
for an electrical aura, Cold Sap for an ice aura, or
even Distracting Cuts from protruding spines. You
get one free invocation of the aspect. Removing the
aspect requires your opponent to succeed at an
Overcome action against a Fair (+2) opposition.
Due to the aura surrounding your body, you also
receive a +2 to Attack actions when using Fight.
Special Effects
Intense Aura (1): Against ranged attacks, your aura
provides a +2 bonus to Defend actions, if the attack
is something your aura would provide protection
against such as an ice aura against bullets or
other physical projectiles, or an energy aura against
energy based attacks.
Blast (1-6)
Skills: Accuracy
You can fire some sort of distance attack, whether
plasma beams, concussive force, ice shards,
fireballs, or even spikes. Each power level grants
you Weapon: 1 rating, up to a maximum of Weapon:
6, and has a range of power level +1 zones away
from the character.
Applying special effects to the power customizes it to
fit the type of blast your character can fire. Below are
examples of how to create various types of Blast with
one or two special effects. Use them as examples for
building your own, or apply them to your character for
a ready-to-play power. Simply purchase your levels of

Blast, and then add the cost below to the final total.
Concussive (2): For each Weapon rating you reduce
from your damage, you knock your target back two
zones instead of the normal one. You also gain a +2
bonus when using your blast to Create an Advantage,
such as Stunned, or Weakened Structure.
Corrosive (2): When destroying objects, your power
does double the amount of Material Strength reduction.
In combat, if the attack succeeds with style, the
character can lower the damage and place an Aspect
instead of the normal Boost to represent the sticky
nature of the corrosive substance.
Darkness (2): You can attack everyone within the
same zone without having to split your result. When
you succeed with style on an attack, you do not have
to reduce your damage to place a Boost on the target.
Earth (1): When you succeed with style, you do not have
to reduce your damage to place a Boost on the target.
Electrical (2): When attacking electrical opponents,
such as robots, you gain a +4 to the attack roll.
EMP (1): The weapon automatically shuts down
electronic devices, such as smartphones, cars,
computers, electrical grids, and NPC robots.
Energy (1): For each Weapon rating you reduce
your damage by, you extend the range of your blast
by an additional zone.
Fire (3): Once per scene, when your attack causes the
target to take a Consequence from your power, you
may spend a fate point. Doing so causes the fire to
continue to attack the target each consecutive round
with a skill rating equal to the Shifts you generated on
the attack roll. The target uses Physique or Athletics
to Defend. To stop the consecutive attacks, the target
must succeed at a Defend action.
Ice (1): If you succeed with style on the attack, you
can lower your damage (both the weapon rating
and damage gained from Shifts) and use your ice to
automatically encase your target in ice.
To break free of the ice, the opponent must roll against
passive opposition equal to the amount of damage
you transferred to the encasement.
Light (2): You gain a +2 bonus when using Light Blast
to place a situation aspect. When you succeed with
style on an attack, you do not have to reduce your
damage to place a boost on the target.
91
Physical Projectile (1): Once per Issue, when you

force an opponent to take a consequence (except
through the use of the Potent, Deadly, or Lethal special
effects), you can spend a fate point to increase the
consequences severity (so mild becomes moderate,
moderate becomes severe). If your opponent was
already going to take a severe consequence, he
Radiation (2): Once per scene, you can spend a fate
point on a successful attack action and cause your
opponent to take both stress and a consequence of
equal value. If the target was already going to take a
consequence, he takes two consequences instead.
Sonic (2): When you succeed with style on an
attack and lower your damage to place a boost,
you instead gain a situation aspect with a free
invocation, representing a Stunned or Lost
Equilibrium type of situation.
Once per scene you may spend a fate point to
force your opponent to take a Mild Consequence
instead of stress.
Vibration (1): Your vibration attacks can shatter
both people and objects. When destroying objects,
your power does double the amount of Material
Strength reduction.
Water (1): When you succeed with style on an
attack and lower your damage to place a boost,
you instead place an aspect, such as Drowning or
Water In Your Lungs.
Boost (2)
A hero with Boost can temporarily increase the skill
level of another person, willing or unwilling.
To boost a skill, the character must succeed at an
Overcome action with opposition equal to the current
skill rank. Success increases the skill by +2 levels,
and a success with style increases the skill by +4
(along with placing the normal Boost).
The boosted skill lasts for number of rounds equal
to twice the boosted level so 4 or 8 rounds. After
the boosted skill drops back to normal, the character
is considered fatigued from the experience. Place an
aspect on the character to represent the strain the
boost caused. The aspect lasts for one scene, and
can be removed during the scene with an Overcome
action against Fair (+2) opposition.
92
A character can only be under one effect of Boost

at a time.
Limits
Overload (1): The heros ability to boost another
person has the nasty habit of overloading and burning
out the ability. Whenever the hero boosts a skill, the
target must make an immediate Will roll against an
Opposition equal to the amount of the boost. If the
roll fails, the target takes a mild consequence related
to his body being overloaded by the power.
Single Skill (1): The hero can only Boost a single
type of skill, chosen when the power is taken.
Burrowing (2)
Skills: None
The character moves by burrowing under the ground,
allowing him to ignore ground based situation
aspects (such as zone border obstacles). Noticing a
burrowing character is an Overcome action, typically
against passive opposition equal to the burrowers
Athletics or Stealth.
If the burrowing character remains unnoticed, they
can erupt from the ground and gain a +2 bonus
to an immediate Create an Advantage action for
placing an aspect, such as Taken by Surprise or
Knocked off Balance.
Chameleon (2)
Skills: None
The hero can alter his appearance and voice to
resemble any other living being. The new appearance
should be of the same relative size and weight as the
hero with this power. Although the heros clothing,
gear, and equipment change to resemble the targets
items, these items do not become functional. In other
words, the hero appears to be wearing a gun when
impersonating a police officer, but the gun cannot be
drawn or fired.
Shifting into another character does not require a roll,
but does constitute your action for the exchange.
Place a temporary aspect on yourself to represent
the new appearance. When in the other form, you
do not gain any powers the original person might
possess. To be able to do that, you must also have
Power Mimicry in your power set (maybe even with
the ranged mimic special effect).
To notice that the hero is not actually the simulated

person, the viewer must make an opposed roll
against the characters Deceive skill, and the Deceive
skill receives +2 bonus.
Special Effect
Near Perfect Form(1): The heros Deceive skill
receives an additional +2 bonus when rolling to avoid
being discovered as a shape-shifter.
Cold Control (2)

The hero is able to control the very forces of cold,
allowing him to effectively decrease the temperature
within an entire zone. You gain a +2 when creating
situation aspects with your power.
You can create ice constructs to encase your
opponents. Doing so requires you to roll your
power against the targets Athletics. If successful,
place a temporary aspect on the target to represent
being encased. Each Shift you generated on the
encasement roll becomes the passive opposition
(Material Strength) that must be overcome to break
the construct
invocations of any power created aspect available,

you can use your darkness to instill fear in others.
Make a power roll opposed by the targets Will. If
successful, the target is overcome with fear, and
all rolls while within the darkness suffer a +2 to the
passive or active opposition, which includes Attack
and Defend rolls.
To break free of the fear while under the cover of
your darkness, the target must make an opposed roll
against your controlling skill. Otherwise, it requires
a Will roll as an Overcome action once free of the
darkness.
Death Speak (1)

The hero can see and communicate with the spirits by
touching the persons corpse. To use the power, the
hero makes an Overcome action with an opposition
equal to the amount of time the person has been
dead. The power lasts until the character stops
touching the corpse.
Difficulty
Time
-2
One Round (6 seconds)
-1
A few minutes
+0
An Hour
+1
A few hours
+2
A day
+3
A few days
+4
+5
Darkness Control (2)
+6
A month
+7
Half a year
You are able to control the very darkness, allowing

you to extinguish light, and gain a +2 when creating
darkness related situation aspects.
+8
A year
+9
Several Years
You are immune to darkness, and darkness related

situation aspects cannot be invoked for any roll made
against you.
+10
A decade
+11
Several decades
+12
A century or more
Special Effects
Intense Cold (1): When creating situation aspects
with Ice Control against a specific target, the hero
can also reduce his number of free invokes to cause
those affected to take 1-Stress for each free invoke
sacrificed. Invulnerability does not negate this
damage, but immunity to cold acts normally.
Sub-arctic (Requires Intense Cold) (1): Once per
scene the hero can also spend a fate point to cause
a target to take a cold related Mild Consequence
instead of Stress.
Special Effects
Hungering Darkness (1): As long as you have free
93
Special Effect
Haunted (+0): You dont need a corpse to use the
power; the spirits of the dead tend to seek you out and
you can attempt to contact them at any time or place.
Deflection (2)
Skills: Fight or Weapons
The hero is able to deflect incoming attacks, either
due to metallic skin, a weapon or shield, or whatever
creative means you can come up with.
Whenever you succeed with style on a Defend
action against a ranged attack (such as Blast), you
reflect the attack back at your attacker causing half
the amount of damage (round up). If you lower your
damage as normal and choose not to take a Boost for
succeeding with style, you instead cause the attack
to hit any other target in the same zone as you.
Special Effects
Full Deflection (1): By spending a fate point, you
deflect the entire damage value back at the attacker,
or at another target by not taking a Boost for
succeeding with style (as long as you still lower your
damage by one).
some other seemingly mundane item. The dimensional

pocket contains its own physical laws and physical
space as defined when the power is taken.
The hero can freely travel into his own dimensional
pocket, and can allow access to anyone he chooses.
Special Effects
Lord of the Domain: The character receives a +2
bonus when creating situation aspects within the
pocket dimension.
Dimensional Travel (1)

Skills: None
You can travel between dimensions, visiting any
dimension you have been to before without effort.
Traveling to a new dimension requires an Overcome
action, with the passive opposition determined by
the GM based upon how difficult access a new
dimension might be in the Series. Although you can
still succeed at a cost on a failed or tied roll (and the
exact details should be worked out with the GM),
accepting a failure means that future attempts to
access the same dimension cause the opposition to
raise by +1 each time.
Mental Deflect (0): Instead of physical and energy

attacks, the hero can only deflect mental and psychic
based attacks.
Drain (2)
Density (2,4,6)
The opposite of the Boost power, Drain allows you to

lower the skill ratings of a target. Make an opposed
roll against the skill to be drained. On a success,
the skill is lowered by 2 steps on the ladder, and is
lowered by 4 steps on a success with style (along
with placing a boost on the target). The effect lasts
for a number of rounds equal to the amount drained
(so 2 or 4 rounds), at which time it returns to normal.
Skills: None
The hero is able to increase his mass. Each Power Level
increases the characters Physique by +2, and lowers
his Athletics by 2, up to a +6 bonus to Physique and
a Feeble (2) minimum rating for Athletics.
If the increase in Physique would grant the character

additional Stress boxes or Mild Consequence slot as
per the normal Physique skill, the character receives
all such benefits while his density is increased.
During that time, the target can attempt an Overcome

action with opposition equal to the amount of drain to
cancel the effect.
The character also receives an aspect to represent

being heavier and slower, with one free invocation
per power level used.
Special Effects
Dimensional Pocket (1)

Skills: None
The hero possesses his own, private dimensional
pocket that is contained within a cloak, backpack, or
94
A character can only be under one Drain effect at a time.
Transference (2): The hero is able to gain the drained

skill at a level equal to the targets lost rating. If the
hero already has the skill that is being drained, then he
maintains his own skill level or assumes the targets,
whichever is higher. The hero loses the transferred
skills when the target recovers from the drain.
Limits
Duplication (5)
Single Skill (1): The hero can only drain a single type
of skill, chosen when the Limit is taken.
Dream Control (1)

You can enter the dreams of others, exerting your
influence over them.
To enter anothers dream, make an opposed roll
of your controlling skill against Will. Once inside
the dream, you can attempt to enter the dreamers
mind and read their thoughts as though you had
the Mind Probe power.
If you want your intrusion to affect the dreamer once
they awake, you must place a situation aspect on
them representing the restless sleep they received.
They can attempt to remove the aspect by rolling
against Fair (+2) opposition. If you succeed with style
and spend a fate point when placing the aspect, then
the aspect can only be removed by getting a full night
of uninterrupted sleep.
You are never truly alone, and have the ability to make
more of you!
The Duplication power allows you to make a
number of exact copies of yourself. To call forth your
duplicates, make a skill roll. If successful, the Shifts
gained on the roll are used to summon one or more
ranks of duplicates, with a single member of each
rank costing an equal number of Shifts. For example,
if the hero gained 3-Shifts on the roll, he could choose
to summon three Rank 1 duplicates, one Rank 2 and
one Rank 1 duplicates, or one Rank 3 duplicate.
The duplicates have all of your aspects, skills, and
powers (except the Duplication power). The rank
level only determines the quality of your duplicates
for damage taking purposes. Duplicates have no
Consequence slots. Duplicates act on your initiative.
Rank 1: They are considered Average quality and
have no stress boxes. A single shift will take them out.
95
Rank 2: They are Fair quality and have one stress

box each.
Rank 3: Your duplicates are Good quality and have 2
stress boxes each.
Duplicates last until Taken Out, or until the end of the
scene. To control them longer than a scene without
an additional roll, you must spend a fate point at the
beginning of the scene.
Special Effects
Damage Soaking (3): Once per issue, the hero
can absorb a duplicate to automatically heal
Consequences. It takes a number of duplicates equal
to the Consequences severity, so a Mild Consequence
would require absorbing two duplicates.
Ready to Rumble (1): The duplicates act as soon as
they are created.
Sacrificial Lamb (2): The hero can spend a fate point
to transfer any damage suffered by himself to one or
more of his duplicates. Any damage that cannot be
applied to a duplicate is taken by the hero.
Horde (2): Once per issue, the hero can choose to
summon a horde of duplicates to assist him when
needed. Multiply the number of Shifts gained on roll
by five to determine the number of duplicates created.
So, gaining 2-Shifts on the roll creates 10 duplicates.
Divided the duplicates into groups of 5 for purposes
of actions, and treat them as a mob. The duplicates
are Rank 1 and cannot be increased.
Limits
Shared Damage (1): Any damage suffered by
the hero or one of the duplicates is suffered by all
duplicates and the hero.
Psychic Feedback (1): Whenever a duplicate is
damaged, the hero must make a Will roll against
Opposition equal to the number of Hits the damage
caused, or fall unconscious for the remainder of
the conflict.
96
Duplicate Duplication
Well put this Special Effect as a side idea,
only because weve seen it in comic books.
Allowing this option can greatly affect the
balance of a game, however, and requires
additional paperwork for the player if used.
So, include it as a playable option with care.
Duplicate Duplication (5): Your duplicates
possess the Duplicate power the same as
you do, and can continue to make copies of
themselves ad infinitum. Keep a separate
record of which duplicates have also created
their own duplicates. If you, the player, have
maintained your sanity by the end of the scene,
youve accomplished an incredible feat.
Earth Control (2)

You can control and manipulate the very Earth under
your feet, whether because you are a mutant, a form
of elemental being, or through arcane means.
You can use your power to create barriers of earth
by making an Overcome action. The Opposition
for anyone to get through the barrier is the Shifts
you generated, +2.
You can also encase others in earth by making an
attack roll using your power. Instead of damage, each
Shift generated is the Opposition for them to break free.
Electrical Control (1)

You can control the ebb and flow of electrical currents
within the zone, and gain +2 to creating electrical
based situation aspects.
Special Effects
Overcharge (1): You can sacrifice free invocations
of your situation aspects to cause Stress against a
target on a one-for-one basis, which Invulnerability
does not mitigate. Against electrical targets, such
as robots and Power Armor, you cause 2-Stress per
invocation sacrificed.
Emotion Control (2)

Difficulty
Distance
-2
Nearby, but blocked

by line of sight
-1
A city block or two away
+0
Several city blocks away
+1
A mile away
+3
Across a large city
+4
Roughly 50 miles away
+5
Roughly 100 miles away
+6
Several hundred
miles away
+7
Half way across

the nation
+8
A distance equal to the

US coast to coast
+9
Into a neighboring
country
+10
Across the Atlantic

or Pacific
+11
To the other side

of the Earth
+12
Beyond the
boundaries of Earth
The hero can alter the emotional state of others. To

use Emotion Control, the hero must place a situation
aspect on the character, such as In love with me,
Overcome with fear, or You would do anything for
me, which is defended against with Will. The emotion
controlling hero receives a +2 bonus to the roll when
placing the aspect.
As long as the situation aspect remains on the
target, the hero can compel it for minor details (such
as preventing someone an attack from someone
hes made fall in love with him), without having to
pay a fate point.
To remove the situation aspect, the target must
roll Will against a passive opposition equal to the
number of Shifts the power received on the roll
when placing the aspect.
Empower (4)
The hero is able to imbue others with a vast array
of powers.
To use Empower, the hero must spend a fate point,
and then make an opposed roll against the targets
Physique. If successful, the hero is able to imbue a
number of powers and special effects upon the target
up to his own Controlling skill rank in hero point cost,
plus an additional hero point for each Shift gained on
the roll. On a success with style, he also gains a Boost.
The imbued powers remain until the empowering
character chooses to take them back. The character
can never have more than his Controlling skill rank in
Hero Points spent at any one time.
The hero can do this every round, but once he imbues
power levels, he cannot use them again until they
are returned, which can be done automatically by
canceling a use of the power on a target.
ESP (1)
A hero with ESP can remotely sense other locations
as though he was physically present by rolling against
opposition based on the distance away from the
character. The hero can use any of their senses at
the remote location, but is completely unaware of the
surroundings of his physical body.
Extra Limbs (2)

Skills: None
This power only needs to be purchased once, and the
exact number and nature of the limbs are left to the
description. For example, the power is the same cost
whether it represents a prehensile tail, two additional
arms, or a mane of living hair.
When the power is taken, the player and GM should
decide what one or two types of actions the limb(s)
provide a +2 bonus toward. For example, a mane
of living hair might offer a +2 bonus to grapples
and Defend actions against physical attacks, while
a prehensile tail might offer a +2 to Athletic rolls for
balance and climbing.
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Extraordinary Intellect (1)
Flight (1-4)
Skills: None
Skills: None
Youre Intellect is so vast that in most settings you

are known as a Level (or Class) X Intellect, such as
Level 10, Class 12, and so forth.
Your character soars through the air, ignoring all

ground based obstacles and situation aspects.
Outside of combat and chases, your movement
is based solely upon the narrative context. During
combat, you can use the following benefits based on
the power level of Flight.
Your vast intellect grants you incredible knowledge

of nearly all known subjects, even fighting arts and
defensive forms. Though you may not be able to
perform them yourself, you know the foundations
of how and why they work. Once per scene, you
can declare a story detail related to some type of
academic knowledge without spending a fate point.
Fire Control (2)

The hero is able to control fire and heat. He gains a +2
bonus to rolls involving using his power to create fire
based situation aspects.
He can increase or decrease existing flame by making
an Overcome action against opposition determined
by the GM (typically ranging from Mediocre (+0) for a
very small fire, to Fantastic (+6) or more for a raging
inferno), with the number of Shifts (minimum of 1 if
the hero is allowed to succeed at a cost) adding to or
taking away from the fires intensity.
Special Effects
Living Flame (3): The hero can bring an otherwise
passive opposition fire to life with the same type of
Overcome action as mentioned above, granting it an
attack skill equal to the number of Shifts gained on
the roll. The fire is considered to have 2-stress boxes
and 1 Mild Consequence slot, but the hero can divide
Shifts from the roll between attack skill and adding
additional Stress boxes.
Flight and Super-Speed

If the hero has both Flight and Super-Speed,
consider only requiring the greater rank of the
two powers to be purchased in full, and apply
the desired equal or lower speed of second
movement mode as a 1-Point Special Effect.
Power specific Special Effects are still
purchased at the listed cost.
Power level 1: Your flight is the equivalent of fast

gliding, giving you a Speed Rating: 2 when involved in
a chase. In combat, you may move up to four zones
per turn for free.
Power level 2: Your flight allows you to match the speed
of fast moving sports cars and other ground based
vehicles, giving you Speed Rating 3 in chases. You can
move up to six zones per turn for free in combat.
Power level 3: Your flight is at speeds equivalent
to most helicopters and small planes, granting you
Speed Rating 4 in chases. You can move to any zone
of your choosing for free in a turn.
Power level 4: You move at super-sonic speeds and
can even reach escape velocity, giving you Speed
Rating 5 in chases. You can move into any zone of
your choosing for free in a turn, and by spending a
fate point can arrive at any scene of your choosing
because you had enough time to get there.
Flight and SuperSpeed in Combat

Flight and Super-Speed can provide a
reason to use the Create an Advantage action
to place a scene aspect to help you with
Defend or Attack actions. A good example
is a Blur of Motion aspect representing your
intense speed, which then receives the free
invocations for placing it (as well as being able
to be invoked with a fate point) for bonuses to
your action. Combine that with invoking the
Power Set aspect, and youll be the streak of
color like you see in some comic book panels.
Force Control (3)

You are able to generate and shape an energy source
such as concussive force or hard light.
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You add +2 to grapple attempts when using some

sort of force energy to entangle your target, and can
grapple any target in the same zone as you. Your
controlling skill counts as your strength.
You can make an Overcome action to create
force barriers and constructs. The opposition for
someone to break them is +2 greater than the
number of Shifts you generated.
You can use your controlling skill as though it was
Super-Strength, allowing you to knock back an
opponent with Force Control, or lift objects up to
a zone away.
Special Effects
Battering Ram (1): The hero can shape their
forcefield into a battering ram. Doing so provides +2
to knock back attempts, and the knock back distance
is treated as though they had Super-Strength.
Expanded Field (1): The heros field can cover an area
beyond just them up to an entire zone maximum.
The forcefields bonus applies to everyone under it
when taking Defend actions.
Forcefield (1-6)
Ranged Field (0): Instead of being focused on the

hero, their forcefield can be fired to anywhere in the
zone. It forms at the point of impact, and covers an
area enough for no more than a couple of people.
Friction Control (2)
You surround yourself with some sort of field, whether

derived from technology or an innate ability, which
makes you harder to hit.
When the character activates the field, she rolls the

controlling skill with a +1 bonus per power level (up
to a maximum of +6). The result is the opposition that
attackers must roll against for their attack action. If
the attack is a success or success with style, the
Forcefield failed to stop the attack and the hero takes
damage as normal.
When a forcefield fails to stop an attack, it deactivates
and it is considered out of commission until the end of
the conflict. To reactivate it during the conflict, the hero
can attempt an Overcome action equal to the level of
forcefield. Reactivating the field can only be done once
per conflict, so if the field is shutdown a second time it
is out for the remainder of the conflict. If the Overcome
action is successful, the hero rolls a new opposition
total that attackers must exceed, as normal.
The forcefield can be maintained from round to
round, meaning that the hero uses her original roll
on subsequent rounds as well without having to toss
the dice again. Doing so, however, means that she
can take no other actions that round (not even a Full
Defense). The hero can still invoke Aspects (including
on subsequent rounds) too add to the total, as
normal. To take another action, the hero will have to
drop his forcefield that round. This does not count as
though the field was shut down from an attack, and
the hero does not have to make an Overcome action
to be able to reactivate it.
You control the amount of friction between objects,

causing them to become extremely slippery or very
sticky in relation to each other. Create a situation
aspect representing the type of effect you are
creating: slippery or sticky. As long as you have free
invocations remaining on the situation aspect, you
get the following effects.
Slippery Surface: Before anyone touching the surface
can take an action that requires balance, they must
make an opposed Athletics roll against your controlling
power (this does not count as an action for you). Unless
they succeed, they can take no other actions that
round as they either fall, struggle to remain upright, or
some other narrative effect that applies.
Sticky Surface: Anyone touching the affected surface
that attempts to move must first make a Physique
roll against your controlling skill (this does not count
as an action for you). If they fail (and choose not to
succeed at a cost), then they can take no other action
that round as they struggle to get free.
Gravity Control (2)

You can control and manipulate one of the fundamental
forces of the universe, allowing you to reduce or
increase the pull of gravity over an area or individual.
You can lower gravity by creating a situation aspect
to represent the gravitational change. As long as
the aspect exists, you can use your controlling skill
as Super-Strength for lifting objects. To lift another
99
person, make an opposed roll against their Physique

or Athletics (whichever is greater).
When increasing gravity against an opponent, make an
opposed roll against Physique. Each Shift generated
on the roll causes all physical actions by the target
to suffer a +1 to the opposition (this includes most
physical Attack and Defend actions).
To affect multiple targets without the Area Effect
special effect, you must split your result.
Special Effects
Intense Gravity (1): When increasing gravity, you
can sacrifice the increase in opposition on a one
for one basis to instead cause Stress to the target.
Invulnerability negates the damage as normal.
Growth (2,4,6,8,10,12)
Skills: None
You can grow to immense size as shown on the table
below. Each level of growth increases your movement
by 1 zone per Power Level.
When you increase your size, you gain an equal
number of levels in Super-Strength, which does not
stack with the normal Super-Strength power if you
have it. If you do, always use the highest rating. Every
2 levels of Growth also provide you with 1 Power
Level of Density.
You also gain an appropriate situation aspect placed
upon you, such as Large, Super-Sized, or Gigantic,
with one free invocation.
Whether growth is a permanent feature of the
character, or is something that can be turned on
and off as a free action, is determined when the
power is taken.
Power Level
Height Bonus
20
Super-Strength 1
40
Super-Strength 2, Density 1
60
Super-Strength 3
75
Super-Strength 4, Density 2
90
Super-Strength 5
100+
Super-Strength6, Density 3
100
Special Effects
Enhanced Lifting (1): You add your Physique to
lifting rolls involving Super-Strength.
Hardiness (1-6)
Skills: None
You are difficult to put down, possessing a greater
than normal damage threshold before you have to
concede a battle or are Taken Out though youll
definitely feel the effects afterward.
For each Power Level, you gain the following benefit:
Power
Level
Benefit
Additional Stress Box
Additional Mild consequence Slot
Additional Moderate Consequence Slot
Additional Severe Consequence Slot
Choose whether the additional Stress Boxes are

physical or mental when the power is purchased.
Likewise, the additional consequence slots must have
a (p) or an (m) notation next to them on the character
sheet, designating whether they are for physical or
mental consequences.
Healing (2)
As a full action, you can heal the Stress and
Consequences of others. To do so, make an Overcome
action with opposition equal to total amount of Stress
to be healed. On a success, you clear all checked
boxes on the target.
To heal Consequences, you must target one
Consequence at a time. The opposition to heal it is
the severity +1, so a Mild Consequence provides
Good (+3) opposition, while a Moderate provides
Superb (+5) opposition.
If you succeed with style on a Healing roll, you place
a Boost on the character being healed, such as I Feel
Great! or Energy Surge.
Appropriate effects of succeeding at a cost might be

taking the persons injury or Stress onto yourself at
a slightly reduced amount, or even assuming the full
measure of their injuries onto your person.
Special Effects
Regrowth (1): The character is able to regrow lost limbs.
Restoration (1): You can counter the effects of powers
that have hindered your patient (typically through a
situation aspect placed on the character), such as
from Confusion, Daze, Mind Control, Paralyze, and
Transform. To do so, you must make a roll against
Fair (+2) Opposition.
Resurrection (1): You can bring others back from
the dead! Make a roll against Great (+4) Opposition.
If successful, you can resurrect the target as long as
the number of rounds they were dead do not exceed
the powers skill rating. For each Shift gained on the
roll, the number of rounds the target can be dead
prior to the resurrection attempt is increased by +1.
The target revives with all Consequence slots filled in,
and can then be further healed.
Hyper-Action (1)
Skills: None
Whether as a result of being a speedster or some
other origin, youre able to complete tasks in far less
time than other people. Whenever you are conducting
researching, assembling items, or performing some
other task where your own mental or physical abilities
are the deciding time-factor, you reduce the time on
the Time Increment chart by four steps.
Hyper-Movement (1)
Skills: None
The character is able to move in strange or unique
ways, whether it is walking on air, climbing walls like
an insect, or passing through narrow openings as
though made of sand or gas.
Each time Hyper-Movement is purchased,
represents a different type of movement ability.
it
Air Walking: You can walk on air as though it was solid

ground, even climbing air staircases to increase
your elevation. This allows you to ignore most ground
based situation aspects and zone obstacles (provided
you have enough open air above you to go up), and
allows you to safely fall from any height.
FTL Speed: You can travel at faster-than-light

speeds while in outer space. The exact speed-factor
is not important, and should be treated as a narrative
need. If two ships (or characters) need to determine
who reaches a destination first, both sides make an
opposed roll using only a flat Mediocre (+0) skill rating.
Aspects may be invoked as normal. The winner gets
there first. If the winner succeeded with style, he not
only gets there first but gets a slight advantage in
being able to place a Boost.
Particulate: You move through extremely small
openings, such as the cracks under a door or key
holes, as though you were made of sand, water,
gas, or some other likely substance. It takes three
rounds to move your entire body through the
opening. If you are in a rush, you can attempt an
Athletics roll as an Overcome action. On a success,
you only take a full round to get through. On a
success with style, you pass through the opening
as part of regular movement.
Swimming: You can move through water as easily as
air, swimming at speeds fast enough to catch even
the fastest boats.
Wall-Crawling: This power allows you to move along
vertical and inverted surfaces as though moving
across level ground, allowing you to ignore ground
based Situation Aspects. The GM may require an
appropriate Athletics action to move over slick or
slippery surfaces.
Water Walking: You can walk across water as though
it was solid ground. Once per conflict you may spend
a fate point to ignore all damage from a single attack
that is ground level based, as you turn off the power
and drops below the waters surface. Even if you
reactivates the power and returns to the waters
surface, you can only pull that trick once per conflict.
Hyper-Sense (1)
Skills: None
The hero has one or more enhanced or unique senses,
granting her the ability to detect things, see things,
and perhaps track things that normal people cannot.
Each time this power is purchased, it applied to a
new form of Hyper-Sense.
Analytical Sense: The hero possesses a sense
that can analyze the material an object or person
is composed of, such as being able to sense each
chemical that composes a steel girder.
101
Awareness: The hero is able to detect something,

as determined when Hyper-Sense (Awareness) is
purchased. The hero can attempt the detection by
making a Notice roll against Mediocre (+0) opposition.
Danger Sense: The hero is able to sense impending
danger. Situation aspects placed that represent an
opponent ambushing, taking aim, or using stealth to
attack the character do not receive free invocations.
Additionally, opponents cannot use Stealth to attack
the character, regardless of Stunts.
Darkvision: The hero can see in darkness as though it
was normal light. Darkness related aspects and Boosts
cannot be invoked for bonuses against the character.
Directional Hearing: When making Notice rolls to
pin-point the exact location of a sound, the hero
gains a +4 bonus.
Full Vision: The hero is able to see in 360 degrees
simultaneously. Situation aspects representing
sneaking up on the character or attacking from
behind do not receive any free invocations.
Additionally, groups do not receive a Teamwork
bonus against the character.
Hyper-Hearing: The hero can hear sounds inaudible
to the normal ear. When detecting heroes that can
hide from normal senses (such as stealth, camouflage,
invisible, and so forth) heroes with this power receive
a +4 to their Notice roll.
Hyper-Olfactory: The hero is able to detect a target
by scent. When placing a situation aspect to assist in
detecting someone using Stealth, Invisibility, or some
other sight impairing power, or tracking someone that
the hero can normally get a scent from, he places
a situation aspect with a free invocation instead
of a Boost on a tie, and receives an additional free
invocation for a for a success or success with style.
Hyper-Touch: The hero is able to sense tremors and
acute details (such as fine grains of sand in an object,
conversations through glass, sensing tremors along
a surface, and so forth) through touch. Although a
roll is not usually required, if the GM rules there is
opposition, then the hero makes any necessary
Notice check with a +4 bonus.
Microscopic Vision: The hero can see miniscule
objects. The opposition to view objects of a certain
size is shown on the chart below.
102
Opposition
Size
Mediocre (+0)
Dust
Average (+1)
Microscopic Insects
Fair (+2)
Cellular
Good (+3)
Molecular
Great (+4)
Atomic
Sonar: The hero can effectively see (without color)

through the emission of high frequency sound
pulses. The hero gains a +4 to Notice rolls to detect
opponents using Stealth, Invisibility, Camouflage,
and other powers that would otherwise hide their
presence. Darkness, intense light, and other vision
impairing situation aspects cannot be invoked on
rolls that oppose the hero.
High frequency sounds on the same frequency as
sonar can disrupt it. Make a Notice check (with no
bonus from this power) against opposition determined
by the GM. This is considered a normal Overcome
action. If the hero fails instead of succeeding at a
cost, then Sonar offers no benefit until the person,
situation aspect, or device causing the high frequency
interruption is removed.
Telescopic Vision: The hero can see fine details
further away than normal people. The exact number
of zones a character can see should be determined
on a case by case basis. If using the Create an
Advantage action to assist in being able to see
far away, the hero places a situation aspect with
a free invocation instead of a Boost on a tie, and
receives an additional free invocation for a success
or success with style.
Thermal Vision: The hero can automatically see into
the infrared spectrum and detect the thermal patterns
emitted by all things. To see thermal patterns through
objects (such as the heat patterns of people on the
other side of a wall), the hero makes a Notice check
with opposition equal to half (round up) of the objects
Material Strength. Additionally, unless characters
using Stealth, Invisibility, or other concealing abilities
also have a means of masking their heat patterns, the
hero can see them normally.
True Sight: The hero is able to see through illusions and
other mentally-created visual effects. The hero gains a
+4 bonus to Notice check against such opposition.
X-Ray Vision: The hero can automatically see

through objects of any Material Strength as though
the barrier was not there. If the hero places a situation
aspect representing his ability to see through objects,
the situation aspects involving things like Cover or
Concealed cannot be invoked on rolls against the
hero as long as he has free invocations of his own
situation aspect available.
between zones, you gain a +2 bonus to the roll.

Depending upon the situation, this may or may not
also involve any bonus from the Super-Strength
power if you possess it, and stacks with Full Defense
(i.e. bracing yourself against heavy attacks).
Illusion (3)
You do not suffer from knock back ever without

there being very good narrative reason, such as
your opponent sending the ground you are standing
on with you.
Immunity (1,3,5)
You can create illusionary objects and people that

seem completely real to those viewing them. The
illusions can fill any area that makes narrative sense,
from the amount of space occupied by a single
person up to a single zone.
Skills: None
To create an illusion, make a roll to create a situation

aspect. On a tie, you create an aspect instead of
a Boost, with one free invocation. On a success
or success with style, you gain an additional free
invocation. For each free invocation you sacrifice,
you can expand the illusion by an additional zone.
The illusions are not real, physical constructs, so
anyone stepping onto an illusionary floor that falls
through it, steps through an illusionary wall, and so
forth, automatically realizes the illusion is not real.
Otherwise, whenever someone has a reason to
believe the illusion is not real, they must make a Will
roll against passive opposition equal to your skill
rating. You may invoke the illusions situation aspect
to increase the opposition by +2.
As long as someone believes your illusions are real,
you can attack them with it using your skill for the
attack roll. Because the damage is illusionary, it causes
Mental Stress (even if the damage appears physical).
Such damage heals normally, even after the illusion is
discovered. While the body might not have actually
been damaged, the mind still suffered injury.
Immoveable (2)
Skills: None
When it comes to being knocked around or shoved out
of the way, you are able to stand your ground, sometimes
even against the worlds most powerful opponents.
The hero possesses immunity to a particular

environmental effect, power, type of damage, and so
forth. Choose from the list below when this power
is purchased is taken. Each type of Immunity is
purchased separately.
Situational Immunity (1)

Each level grants the character immunity to one
type of environment based situation aspect. Such
situation aspects cannot be invoked on actions
against the character. The immunity does not prevent
the character from taking damage from associated
attacks (such as Fire Blast, Ice Blast, or a radiation
based Affliction power), but stops them from being
harmed by effects like those generated by the Cold
Control special effect since such damage options are
based upon placing situation aspects.
Some examples of situational immunities that have
appeared in comic books are listed below, but your
group is encouraged to create more as needed.
Cold
Drowning
Emotion (or type of emotion, such as fear)
Heat
Hunger
Lack of Sleep
Poison
Pressure (such as from the deep ocean)
Radiation
Stun (such as the stunned situation aspect)
You can use Physique instead of Athletics and Fight

for Defend actions against attacks.
Suffocation
When rolling to provide active opposition to

Overcome actions, such as blocking movement
Vacuum
Thirst
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Type Immunity (3)

The hero is immune to the effects of a specific
power type, such as Ice, Fire, Radiation, Plasma
and so forth. This means that the hero cannot be
damaged by attacks from that specific power, and
is also immune to any environmental aspects (such
as heat, if immune to Fire Blast) associated with
the power type.
Only one type of power immunity can be purchased,
unless the GM approves additional purchases.
Source Immunity (5)

This immunity level is included because well
it exists within comic books, but could prove an
issue in some campaigns. Before source immunity
is available to the heroes, talk it over with the GM
and rest of the group. After all, allowing the playercharacters to have Source Immunity: Magical in
a campaign based on the mystic community and
supernatural threats might not be a good idea. If
the source immunity makes the heroes completely
immune to the common type of major threats in
a campaign, its highly recommended that the
particular source immunity option be excluded.
A special and uncommon type of immunity, the hero
is immune to all effects (including damage) from a
specific source of power. Examples of power sources
include divine, magical, mental, mutant, and so forth.
Choosing a broad source that makes the character
completely immune to everyday effects, such as
physical or technological, is not allowed. While such
powers might exist, they are purely within the realm of
NPCs who represent a major enemy in the story, and
typically a Major Milestone when defeated.
A character may never have more than one type of
source immunity.
the attack, you must first place a situation aspect on

the target for the set-up as a free action. The target
can defend against this as normal, which represents
them getting out of the way. Since your character is
still intangible, the Defend action should typically use
Athletics, though any skill or power can be used if the
narrative is justified. Once the aspect is placed, your
character can then make an Overcome action against
the targets physique, causing 3-hits of damage on
a success. Since the attack is literally through the
character, Invulnerability doesnt negate it.
Against objects, the attack is automatic.
Bio-electrical Discharge (Requires Phase Attack)
(1): When you attack electrical targets (including
Power Armor) using the Phase attack, you cause
6-hits worth of damage.
Phase Others (1): You can extend your phasing to
anyone in contact with you, and even to those in
contact with that person! To do so, make a roll against
Opposition equal to the number of people who are
going to phase (excluding yourself). If the people are
unwilling, the roll instead becomes Active Opposition
against their Will.
Interface (1)
Skills: Will or Technology
You can access computers from a distance. The
exact distance is left to the narrative, since nearly any
range could be explained thanks to satellites. When
accessing or hacking into computer systems, make
an Overcome action against a difficulty set by the
GM. This power allows you to also use Will in place
of Technology (if you so choose) for hacking into
computer systems.
Invisibility (2,4,6)
Intangible (1)
Skills: None
You can make yourself difficult or nearly impossible

to see, whether by bending light around you, a mystic
spell, or some other origin.
You have the ability to become insubstantial and

pass through any object, allowing you to ignore
ground based situation aspects or zone obstacles.
There is no roll to use the power, unless certain
special effects are used.
Special Effects
Phase Attack (2): You can also solidify portions of
yourself (such as an arm) inside of people and objects,
using your phasing ability to damage them. To perform
104
Each level in this power gives you a +2 bonus to

Stealth rolls, up to a +6 maximum. Additionally, you
are able to use Stealth for attacks (including the bonus
from this power) as long as your exact location has
not been discovered. If you succeed with style on the
attack, you can maintain invisibility and use Stealth
(and the associated bonus) again on the next attack
instead of placing a Boost basically representing
that youve attacked and moved well enough that
they still cant pin-point you. Otherwise, once you

attack, youve been discovered and lose all Stealth
benefits granted by this power for the remainder of
the conflict (unless the narrative dictates that it would
make sense for you to regain the stealth benefits).
Anyone can attempt to discover your location
even without you attacking (if they have a reason
to know you are present) by making an Overcome
action against passive opposition equal to your
Stealth bonus from the power. The action cannot
succeed at a cost.
Invulnerability (1-6)
Skills: None
The hero is resistant to damage, gaining Armor Rating
1 per power level, to a maximum of Invulnerability 6.
Special Effect
Absorption (1): Your Invulnerability also has the
ability to absorb and channel either physical (kinetic)
or energy damage as per the Absorption power. For
each 2-Hits of the energy type you absorb (round up),
you gain +1 to Attack and Overcome actions, but the
energy must be used by your next turn or it dissipates.
To possess expanded absorption abilities, purchase
Absorption special effects at the normal cost.
Unstoppable (2): Once the hero gets moving, he
adds his Invulnerability level as a bonus to resist other
characters attempting to stop his momentum. The
hero can automatically break objects with a Material
Strength up to twice his Invulnerability level simply by
purposefully ramming into them.
Absorption and
Invulnerability
Absorption offers a limited form of
invulnerability an armor rating against
either physical or energy damage (but not
both) that can then be channeled into a bonus
for Attack and Overcome actions. However,
what if you want your hero to have both full
invulnerability, plus the ability to absorb and
channel energy from damage?
Since layers of armor rating do not stack,
purchase the Invulnerability power with the
Absorption special effect. Yes, that makes
being able to absorb energy more expensive,
since a 4-Shift absorb under Absorption is
2-points, and a 4-Shift under Invulnerability
is 5-points with the special effect, but you are
also getting the ability to mitigate pretty much
all incoming attacks, plus your invulnerability
still mitigates damage if your absorption fails..
Leaping (1-4)
Skills: None
You can leap distances greater than even the best
human athlete. Unlike some other modes of supermovement, Leaping does not provide you with
specific bonuses to rolls, though you may still ignore
ground based situation aspects as long as you have
the overhead clearance to leap over them. As a matter
of fact, because a leap of your magnitude causes you
to hang in the air a bit, the GM might even be able to
invoke your power set aspect against you.
Outside of combat, how quickly you get from
one location to another is based on the narrative
context. In combat, however, leaping provides the
following movement.
Power level 1: Providing there are no zone barriers to
stop you, you can move four zones per turn for free.
Power level 2: You can move six zones per turn for
free, providing there are no zone barriers in your way.
Power level 3: You can leap up to eight zones for
free. Doing so requires significant overhead clearing,
which means you automatically ignore ground based
situation aspects.
Power level 4: You can leap to any nearby zone and
ignore all ground based situation aspects while doing so.
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Life Support (1)

Skills: None
The hero has incredible body chemistry (or may even be
a robot or android) does not need to eat, drink, breathe,
or sleep. He is unaffected by attacks and situation
aspects which require the target to inhale air (such as
poisonous gas, smoke inhalation, and so forth).
Light Control (1)

You can generate and control the intensity of light,
whether sheer whiteness, fireworks, or some other
sort of illumination, gaining a +2 bonus when creating
light based situation aspects.
Living Sance (2)

The hero is a walking conduit for the spirits of the
dead, able to summon them to his location.
Make a roll as an Overcome action. Each Shift
gained on the roll represents a single spirit. The
spirits are intangible and cannot be harmed except
through appropriate psychic or mystic abilities
(such as Psychic or Eldritch Blast). Although they
cannot physically harm other characters, their
presence and rapid movements are a good way to
cause distractions, allowing multiple spirits to act
as a team and apply the teamwork bonus to Create
an Advantage actions.
For example, if the hero gained 3-Shifts on the roll and
summoned three spirits, they could work together
to gain +2 bonus to Create an Advantage actions,
perhaps placing a Distracting situation aspect on an
opponent and handing off the free invocations to the
summoning hero or one of his allies.
Spirits act on the round after they are summoned,
on the summoning heros initiative. Unless Taken
Out, they last until the end of the scene, and can
be extended to a longer duration by paying one fate
point per additional scene.
Each Spirit has one stress box.
Special Effects
Phase Attack (2): The spirits have the Phase Attack
special effect from the Intangible power.
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Poltergeist (2): The spirits have the Telekinesis power

with Mediocre (+0) skill rating. They can use the skill
to attack by throwing objects at the opponent. When
using Telekinesis to create situation aspects, they
gain +2 to the roll in addition to any teamwork bonus.
Ready to Rumble (1): The spirits can act as soon as
they are summoned.
Limits
Draining (1): Summoning spirits is extremely tiring
to the hero. At the end of each scene in which the
hero had summoned spirits under his command, he
takes 1-Stress per spirit. The stress does not clear
until the end of a full scene in which no spirits were
under his command.
Luck (2)
The hero and those around him are favored by fortune
and able to get a lucky break at just the right time, or
might get hindered at just the wrong time.
Good Luck: The hero makes an Overcome action.
If successful, the hero may use one of the benefits
below. On a success with style, the hero may use two
of the effects.
The effects last until the end of the next exchange,
at which time the hero will have to use Luck again to
reset the benefits.
The hero places two Boosts on a zone or
character. The Boosts can be divided between
the zone and a specific character, or two
different characters, or two different Boosts on
the scene however the hero chooses.
The hero gains two temporary fate points
and may share them with other characters
(including Nameless NPCs).
The hero may spend fate points to negate those
spent by another character, on a one-for-one
basis, but cannot spend more than two fate
points on this effect.
Whether or not the roll can succeed at a cost is up
to the GM. If it can, then a minor cost should be
something along the lines of a single Boost placed
that can only be used against the hero or an ally. For
a major cost, see Bad Luck below.
Bad Luck: This primarily happens when the character
fails the power roll or succeeds at a major cost. In
this case, the player (or GM) must choose one of the
following problems. If the roll was failed by 3 or more,
the character suffers two problems.
The character gets two Boosts placed upon
them (or even one or two of their allies instead,
GMs choice), with a single free invocation going
to the opposition.
The character (or an ally) suffers a Mild
Consequence tied into the unlucky break. If the
character does not have a Mild Consequence
slot open, then it becomes a situation aspect
that grants two free invocations to the
opposing forces. The Mild Consequence or
aspect automatically goes away at the end of
the next exchange.
One of the characters aspects, or a Mild
Consequence or situation aspect placed by
Luck, is compelled against the character or ally,
and no fate point is received for the Compel.
Magnetic Control (2)

You can manipulate and control ferrous metals,
allowing you to move any such objects within the
same zone as though you had Super-Strength equal
to your controlling skill rank.
You can use your controlling skill to cause metallic
objects to grapple any target within the same zone.
Treat the Material Strength of the object as the passive
Opposition to break free on subsequent rounds.
If you are simply using magnetic forces to grapple
them, then your controlling skill acts as your strength
on subsequent rounds.
Against multiple targets, you must split your
results as normal.
When creating barriers with metallic objects, the
opposition to break the construct or barrier is
automatically equal to the material strength of the
metal being used, such as steel being Legendary
(+8) material strength.
Special Effect
Blood Flow Manipulation (1): If you succeed at an
opposed roll against a targets Physique, you can
cause them to fall asleep by manipulating the flow of
oxygen to the brain. The target is asleep for the current
exchange, plus one round per Shift you achieved on
the roll. Awakening before then requires a Physique
roll against passive opposition equal to the number of

Shifts you generated.
Matter Control (3)

The hero is able to control and manipulate the very
fabric of the physical universe, effectively changing the
form of matter or creating matter where none exists.
To change one material type into another, make as an
Overcome action. Use the difference between the two
Material Strengths as the opposition. For example, to
make a bank vault door disappear (changing the vault
door to thin air), the opposition would be Monstrous
(+9). On the other hand, changing the Monstrous (+9)
bank vault door into a more easily breakable Good
(+3) brick, requires Fantastic (+6) opposition.
The change lasts for one exchange on a success (or a
success at a cost), or few minutes on a success with
style. If the hero spends a fate point, the change lasts
the entire scene.
Matter Control does not allow you to create weapons
or armor with an actual Rating.
Special Effects
Encasement (1): You can use created objects to
encase any target within the same zone, rolling your
controlling skill in a grapple attempt. The Material
Strength of the object is the passive Opposition for
them to break free.
Melee Attack (1-6)

Skills: Fight
Your hero has some sort of powerful, up close and
personal attack, whether claws, flaming hands, ice
encased fists, concussive force punches, or even a
weapon thats beyond the scope of the mundane.
Each power level grants the character Weapon: 1
rating (up to Weapon: 6).
Applying special effects to the Melee power
customizes it to fit the type of attack he uses. Below
are some ready-made, low cost examples of how to
create some types of Melee Attacks with one or two
special effects. Use them as examples for building
your own, or apply them to your character for a readyto-play power. Simply purchase your levels of Melee
Attack, and then add the cost below to the final total.
Damage from Melee Attack does not stack with
the damage from Super-Strength. Instead, you use
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the greater of the two (though you still purchase a

secondary effect from the Melee Attack power).
Claws/Weapon (1): Once per scene, you can spend
a fate point on a successful Attack action and cause
your opponent to take both Stress and a Consequence
of equal value. If the target was already going to take a
Consequence, he takes two Consequences instead.
Concussive (1): For each Weapon rating you reduce
your damage by, you knock your target back two
zones instead of the normal one.
Corrosive (2): When destroying objects, your power
does double the amount of Material Strength reduction.
In combat, if the attack succeeds with style, the
character can lower the damage and place an Aspect
instead of the normal Boost to represent the sticky
nature of the corrosive substance.
Electrical (2): When you succeed with style on an
attack, you do not have to reduce your damage to
place a Boost on the target. You may also use your
powers skill, instead of Thief or Technology, when
attempting to short out or bypass electronic locks.
Energy (2): When you succeed with style on an
attack, you may spend a fate point to ignore a
targets Imperviousness, as well as bypass 2 levels
of Invulnerability. If the target is not Impervious, you
ignore 3 levels of Invulnerability.
Fire (1): When touching any object or person, you
gain a +2 bonus to creating Aspects representing
some type of fire or burning effect.
Ice (1): Once per Issue, when you force an opponent
to take a consequence, you can spend a fate point to
increase the consequences severity (so mild becomes
moderate, moderate becomes severe). If your opponent
was already going to take a severe consequence, he
To remove the aspect and regain the lost memories,

the target must succeed at a Will roll against
opposition equal to the skill rating of the power user.
Permanent Memory
Alteration
Some extremely powerful NPCs might
have a permanent version of the Memory
Augmentation power. When using it against
the player-characters or Named NPCs,
attempting to recover the true memories
requires a fate point to make the roll.
Mental Blast (1-6)

The power functions the same as the Blast power,
except it causes Mental Stress to the target.
Mental Invulnerability (1-6)

This power works the same as Invulnerability, except
it only negates mental based damage.
Mind Control (3)

The hero can enter and control the minds of
others, effectively controlling their actions and
overriding their willpower.
To Mind Control Nameless and Supporting NPCs, roll
your skill against passive opposition equal to their
Will. If successful, you place a temporary aspect on
the target that can be compelled to force them to
follow your orders. Compelling the aspect does not
cost a fate point.
Skills: Magic or Mental
To take over a Named NPCs or another playercharacters mind requires confronting them on the
psychic plane. Treat this as a Contest using your
controlling skill against their Will. If you win, you
place a temporary aspect on the target that can be
compelled for free to force them to follow your orders.
The character is able to transform the memories of

the target, either erasing some completely or altering
the way the character remembers facts and events.
Breaking free of the mind control requires removing

the aspect. Make an Overcome action against passive
opposition equal to controllers controlling skill.
Make an opposed roll of your Magic or Mental

skill against the targets Will. If successful, place a
temporary aspect on them to represent the changed
memory.
Special Effects
Memory Augmentation (2)
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Master of Puppets (1): The controller can force his thrall

to spend fate points and invoke aspects, but the actual
fate points are spent by the controller, not the thrall.
Subtle (1): Once free, the target is unaware of the

Mind Control and suffers a memory loss (a blackout)
for the time he was under the influence of the power. If
there is a question as to whether or not he was under
someones influence, anyone with an appropriate skill
or power (such as Mind probe) can make a roll against
opposition equal to the Mind Controllers controlling
skill rating to discover the truth.
Mind Probe (1)

The hero is able to delve into another persons mind
and read their thoughts and memories.
To do so, make an opposed roll versus the persons
Will. If the hero rolls a success, he can read memories
easily recalled by the target. On a success with style,
the hero can read distant or deeply buried memories.
Mind Switch (5)

You are able to switch your mind with another living
being that you can touch.
For a willing target or a mindless victim (such as a
blank clone) the mind switch is automatic.
Otherwise, youre going to roll for it.
Against Nameless and Supporting NPCs, roll your
skill against passive opposition equal to their Will.
If successful, you and the target switch bodies,
and both bodies receive a temporary aspect
representing the change.
Against Named NPCs and player-characters, the
two of you must oppose each other on the psychic
plane in a Contest of the your Mental skill versus the
victims Will. On a victory, you switch bodies and both
people receive a temporary aspect related to the fact.
During the Shift, each personality retains its own
skills and mental powers, which are now possessed
by the other body.
If either body dies during the switch, the two must
make an immediate opposed Will roll. The one who
gained the most Shifts enters (or remains inside
of) the surviving body and the other personality is
considered deceased though whether it can
remain as a ghost and plague the other (or even
struggle to get its body back) is up to the GM and
could provide a series of adventures.
You can revert back to your new body at any time

by making a Will roll against passive opposition. The
victim must succeed at an opposed Will roll against
you, but you can invoke the victims temporary aspect
as normal to assist in your own roll.
Molecular Chameleon (4)

The hero is able to restructure his molecules into any
material he can touch, in effect gaining abilities based
on the substance.
Make an Overcome action. The hero gains one
temporary aspect related to the substance for
each Shift generated on the roll, and gets one free
invocation (in total, not per aspect).
The hero should also choose one effect that can be
invoked for each aspect (see: Invoking for Effect in
the Aspects and Fate Points chapter). For example,
a hero who mimicked steel might choose an effect
such as being able to ignore 3-Shifts of damage
due to the reinforced skin. He might assume a
concrete substance and choose an effect similar to
the Immovable power. If assuming a rubber material,
his effect might give him +3 to grapple rolls. Since
the power was purchased with Hero Points, the GM
should allow some leeway on the effect types that
can be applied, but should still make sure the player
isnt going overboard. Generally speaking, up to a
3-Shift effect is plenty.
If the hero can only mimic one specific substance by
touching it (such as only steel), purchasing individual
powers like Invulnerability, Immoveable, and Melee
Attack, with the power set limit of must touch a
steel object to activate, would be the better option.
Molecular Chameleon is designed for those characters
who can shift from substance to substance quickly.
Special Effects
Paralyze (3)
The hero is able to render a target immobile through
touch.
To paralyze the target, the hero must first touch the
individual. Then, they make an opposed roll against
their Physique or Will, depending upon the nature
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Plant Control (2)

You can control existing plants
within a zone, manipulating them
to do your bidding.
You can use your plants to
encase anyone within the same
zone (providing the plants have
vines or some other means of
grappling a target), using your
controlling skill with a +2 bonus.
The Shifts generated act as the
opposition for them to break free.
If you spend a fate point and
succeed in an Overcome action,
you can cause the plants to grow
in area to cover one additional
zone per Shift gained on the
roll. If you fail or tie and choose
to succeed at a cost, the plants
only fill one additional zone.
Postcognition (1)
The hero can touch an object
and see into the past, viewing
events that took place within the
immediate vicinity. The exact
details of what the hero views
are determined by the GM.
of the power. If successful, the victim receives a

temporary aspect related to the paralysis, and cannot
move or take action while it is attached.
If the target tries to get free early, she must remove
the aspect by rolling the appropriate skill roll against
opposition equal to the number of Shifts gained on
the original activation roll.
Special Effects such a Gaseous can be applied to
the power to mimic the effects of a paralyzing gas,
or Triggered to represent a paralyzing drug that has
a delayed activation.
110
The hero must make a

Mediocre (+0) action. They
can see a few minutes into the
past on a tie, and an additional
step on the Time Increment
table for each Shift.
Power Mimicry (5)

You can mimic the powers of another character by
touching them. First, there is no roll if youre touching
a willing character or one that doesnt know you are
about to touch them. Otherwise, you must first make
an opposed roll using whatever skills are appropriate
to force contact.
Once you touch the target, make an Overcome
action with passive opposition equal to Fair (+2). If
successful, you mimic their powers until the end of

the scene. If the target has a power you already have,
you mimic the power at the higher of the two rankings
if the power has a variable level.
Skill Mimic (4): In addition to the targets powers (or

even in place of it), you can mimic all of the skills of
a target. For skills both of you have, you maintain the
higher of the two ranks.
Only NPCs can maintain a mimicked power

indefinitely, and such characters should prove to be
major opposition. If the GM has such an NPC keep
a player-characters power template, he must give
the player a fate point at the end of the scene the
powers were mimicked the scene where they are
first mimicked, not future scenes where the powers
are used again.
Stunt Mimic (4): You can mimic all of the Stunts

possessed by the target.
Special Effects
Multi-Mimic (1): You can hold the mimicked the
powers of more than one target at once, but each extra
character you mimic increases the opposition by an
additional +2. Power Levels do not stack if you mimic
the same power more than once between different
targets you only receive the higher power level.
Power Potency Mimic (1): In addition to the targets
powers, you also mimic their controlling skill. If you
both have the same controlling skill, you mimic it at
the higher of the two ranks.
Leach (2): Instead of simply mimicking the powers,
you actually steal them from the target. To steal
anothers powers, you must roll against passive
opposition equal to the number of powers being
stolen, +2. Due to the nature of this power, the
target can only defend by invoking aspects to
increase the opposition.
If successful, you place a temporary Power Loss aspect
on the target, which lasts until the end of the scene.
The target can attempt to regain their powers early by
removing the aspect. Doing so requires spending a fate
point and making an appropriate roll against the number
of Shifts you gained on the original roll. Which skill is
used for the roll is determined by the narrative. It might
be a controlling skill, Will, or even Physique.
This Special Effect can also be applied to the Skill
Mimic and Stunt Mimic abilities listed below. Each
instance must be purchased separately.
Ranged Mimic/Theft (1): You do not have to
touch the target, and can mimic or steal powers of
a character anywhere within the same zone. The
opposition increases by +1. Add an additional +1 to
the opposition for each additional zone between you
and the target.
Different Types of Mimic

Instead of being able to mimic an opponents
powers, characters can be created to mimic
only the skills, or the stunts, or the skills and
stunts, of an opponent. Building such a power
is simply a matter of taking what is currently
listed as a Special Effect under Power
Mimicry as a core power. In other words,
Skill Mimicry would cost 4-Points, while Skill
& Stunt Mimicry would cost 8-points.
Power Nullify (1,3,5)

The hero is able to nullify a single power, a type of
power, or the source of a power, chosen when this
power is taken.
To nullify a power, make a Create an Advantage roll
with +2 bonus against the opponent.
Success means you place a temporary aspect on the
target representing how their powers are shut down,
such as EMP Strike, Mystic Vortex, or Nullification
Collar. The powers are shut down until the aspect is
removed. Removing the aspect requires a roll against
Opposition equal to the number of Shifts gained on
the original roll. Which skill is rolled will be determined
by the narrative. It might be Physique (breaking
the collar), or a controlling skill, or Will (psychic
suppression), and so forth.
Single Power
Nullification (1)
The hero is able to nullify a single power at a time,
and cannot nullify another power unless the current
nullification is ended.
Type Nullification (3)

The hero can nullify all powers of a specific type, such
as Ice, Fire, Light, Darkness and so forth
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Source Nullification (5)

An extremely powerful form of nullification, the hero
can cancel powers of a specific source, such as
mental, mystic, or mutant.
A character may never have more than one type of
source nullification.
Long Term Nullification

The ability to turn off powers for entire scenes
or longer are plot devices for the GM, and
are meant to be obstacles the heroes must
somehow overcome as part of the story.
If the GM allows it, player-characters can
attempt to create source nullification fields
as part of a protective measure (such as
an anti-magic field), but must spend a fate
point and roll against Great (+4) opposition.
The field last for an entire scene, unless a
narrative reason is agreed upon for it to last
longer.
Precognition (1)
The hero can view events that have yet to transpired,
though whether those events are set in stone or
can be altered are never known at the time (though
he may have his own philosophy on the matter).
To get a glimpse of the future, roll against passive
opposition. The exact details of what is seen is
determined by the GM, and might be confusing
glimpses or detailed images, depending upon the
needs of the story.
The hero can create a single situation aspect related
to the portents with a +2 bonus to the roll. How long
the aspect remains depends on the narrative context.
It could be one scene, one issue, or the length of the
story arc.
Radiation Control (1)

Psychic Blades (1-6)
You can generate and control radiation, giving you

the power to cause others to become sick and weak
around you.
The power functions the same as the Melee Attack

power, except it causes Mental Stress to the target.
You gain +2 bonus to the roll when creating situation

aspects related to radiation.
Psychic Forcefield (1-6)

See the Forcefield power, except it functions
against psychic and mental assaults instead of
physical and energy.
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Regeneration (4)
Self-Destruct (2,4,6)
Skills: None
Skills: None
You possess the ability to heal at an accelerated rate,

literally recovering from injury in a fraction of the time.
You can literally explode yourself, causing 2-hits of

damage per Power Level (up to 6-Hits maximum)
across one zone per power level. Unfortunately, you
cannot filter targets, so you cannot apply the multitarget special effect to this power. Anyone within
the zone can make an Athletics roll to somehow
avoid the explosion.
When not in combat, you heal up to 2-Stress per

minute. For Consequences, take the severity as the
number of minutes; so a Mild Consequence takes 2
minutes, a Moderate Consequence takes 4 minutes,
and so forth. Stress is always healed first, and then
each Consequence is recovered in order of lowest to
highest severity.
Healing an Extreme Consequence takes an entire
issue of rest (your character is basically out of action),
requires you to spend a fate point, and to succeed at
a roll against Fantastic (+6) opposition.
During combat, you can take an action to do nothing
except attempt to heal. Doing so requires a Physique
roll against opposition equal to the amount being
healed, so Fair (+2) for Stress or Mild Consequence
recovery, Great (+4) for Moderate Consequence
recovery, and so on. You must still recover Stress,
then Consequences in order of lowest severity, but
can combine efforts into a greater opposition, such
as healing 2-Stress and a Mild Consequence in one
round for a Great (+4) opposition (or even 4-Stress
for the same opposition). You can succeed at a cost.
If you want to heal and do something else (such as
attack) in the same round, you must spend a fate
point to use Regeneration.
Special Effects
Enhanced Regeneration (1): The hero regenerates
in half the normal time.
Immortality (1): The hero heals even if dead. The
heros body must be relatively intact in order for the
hero to come back to life.
Reconstruction (1): The hero can regenerate even if
disintegrated or blown to pieces, returning to life after
1 month has passed. The time for reconstruction can
be decreased by a 1 step on the Time Increment
table for each additional +1 cost.
Regrowth (1): You can regrow lost limbs within
a matter of hours, which can be decreased by
a 1 step on the Time Increment table for each
additional +1 cost.
You automatically reform within an hour, but can

do so sooner by making a roll against passive
opposition equal to each step on the Time Increment
table you wish to reduce the time by. So, reforming
one round later is a five step reduction on the chart
for a Superb (+5) opposition.
If you want to reform in a location other than where
you detonated (no more than a few zones or city
blocks away), add +1 to the opposition.
Special Effects
Massive Explosion (1): Your self-destruction explodes
across two zones per power level.
Sensory Shield (1)

Skills: None
You have a power suit or some other method (even inborn)
of protecting your various senses against overload.
When you defend against your opponent attempting
to place situation aspects on you that target your
senses, such as by using intense sounds (sonic
attack), flashes of light (light control), and other effects
that can cause you to become dazed, off-balance,
staggered, stunned, and so forth due to sensory
overload, you gain +2 to the Defend action.
Serial Reincarnation (2)

Skills: None
Whenever the hero dies, he reincarnates as a new
person after a few hours. The hero maintains his
memories and Skill Column, but can create new
Aspects (except his Concept Aspect), and purchase
new powers and stunts using the same number of
Hero Points he was originally created with (meaning
he has lost any increases he received through
Milestones in his previous form).
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Special Effects
Rapid Reincarnation (1): Each time this special
effect is applied, the time to reincarnate is reduced
by 1 step on the Time Increment table.
Shapeshift (5)
Skills: Magic or Power
You can shapeshift into any animal or inanimate
object. For the ability to shapeshift into other people,
add Chameleon to your power set.
To shapeshift, make an Overcome action. Each Shift
generated on the roll provides you with a power level
with which to build your new form. You maintain your
own Skill Column.
The points are spent on a one-for-one basis to gain
power levels in appropriate powers (so, no, you dont
have to flip through the book during play to calculate
costs as though buying the powers normally).
When shapeshifting into inanimate forms, anyone
trying to recognize that youre not actually the object
must make an opposed roll against your Deceive skill,
and you get a +2 bonus to the roll.
You can maintain the form until the end of the scene
or until Taken Out.
While in a shapeshifted form, you lose access to your
normal powers, except the Shapeshift ability.
A hero with Shapeshift transforms into a
panther and gets 4 Shifts on the roll. The
character has 4 points with which to build the
abilities. He might gain Claws 2, Super-Speed
1, and Invisibility 2 (Limit: darkness only).
At a later time, he shapeshifts into a rhino and
gains 5-Shifts. He spends the Shifts on: superspeed 1, Melee Attack (horn) 2, and Density 2.
Special Effects
Shrinking (2)
Skills: None
The hero may decrease his size at will, allowing him
to get into areas impossible for a normal sized person
to navigate. Shrinking takes an entire round and it
takes another entire round to return to normal size.
A hero may choose to shrink to a size less than that
114
allowed by his power level. Whether or not the hero

retains his normal density while reduced in size is up
to them, but they retain their normal Physique.
At Power Level 5 and above, normal sized people
cannot target the hero unless the individual
possesses some way of seeing them, such as
microscopic vision. They also cannot interact with
normal sized people (such as a direct attack).
Additionally, at Power Level 6 the hero can enter an
alternate dimension such as a microverse, if such
a place exists within the campaign.
The hero also gains an appropriate character
aspect placed upon them, such as size of a bug,
with one free invocation.
Whether or not the power is permanent or can be
turned on and off as a free action is determined when
Shrinking is purchased.
Power Level
Height
Small Insect
Dust Particle
Microscopic
Special Effects
Blindside (2): The hero can revert to normal size
and attack as a single action, gaining a bonus to the
attack roll equal to the Power Level that was active.
Sicken (2)
The hero is able to make those he touches
nauseated or ill.
To do this, take a Create an Advantage action to first
place a situation aspect on the target representing
what type of illness you are hitting them with. They can
defend against this normally, usually with Physique.
If the aspect is placed, you get the normal number of
free invocations.
You can either use the aspect for the normal

invocations, or sacrifice your free invocations on a
one-for-one basis to cause Stress to the target.
Spatial Control (1)
Sleep (1)
You possess the ability to twist and bend the very

fabric of space, altering distances between two
points with ease.
The hero is able to cause another living target to enter

a deep sleep. Doing so requires an opposed power
roll against the targets Physique for a physical attack
(such as a gas), or Will for a mental attack or mystical
attack. If successful and the target is a Nameless or
Supporting NPC, they fall asleep and remain that way
for the rest of the scene. Against a Named NPC or
player-character, the target falls asleep for a number
of rounds equal to the Shifts generated by the roll.
By making a controlling skill roll against as an

Overcome action, you can decrease or increase the
distance between two points for each Shift achieved
on the roll. For example, if you gained 2 Shifts on the
roll, you could warp space so that you now occupy an
area that was two zones away. Likewise, you could
extend the distance so that now the area was an
extra two zones away, thereby forcing a movement
roll (or multiple rounds) to get there.
Sorcery (3)
By applying the Area Effect and Multi-Target

special effects to the power, you can achieve
some wild effects.
Skills: Magic
The hero can channel and direct the raw arcane

energies of the cosmos, making him a member of the
mystic community whether he wants to be one or not.
Spinning (1)
He can use the Magic skill instead of Arcanum for

rolls involving knowing details (common or long
forgotten) of mystic elements, such as spells, demons,
dimensions, legends, and beings of power.
You can spin like a top, making yourself harder to hit.

When taking a Defend action while spinning, you gain
a +1 to Fight and Athletics.
The Magic skill can be used to Attack or Defend in

place of another skill where appropriate, such as
using Magic instead of Accuracy to fire a mystic
themed Blast power.
The sorcerer also gains +2 to Create an Advantage
rolls using his magic skill.
Sound Wave Control (1)

You can control sound waves across an entire
zone. When you create situation aspects based
on increasing or decreasing sound, you can
sacrifice free invocations on a one-for-one basis
to increase sound waves against a target and
cause immediate Stress.
Against characters with Hyper-Senses (Hyper-Hearing),
each free invocation sacrificed causes 2-Stress.
Skills: None
Additionally, the hero can purchase enhancements

from the selection below, representing special abilities
hes gained through his spinning ability.
Projectile Attack (1): The hero can make
an attack up to one zone away by launching
a projectile at a target. The projectile does
Weapon: 2 damage.
Area Attack (2): The hero can release held
objects, attacking everyone within the same
zone with a Weapon: 2 damage.
Burrowing (2): The hero gains the Burrowing power.
Full Vision (1): While spinning, you can easily
see in all directions. The hero gains the Full
Vision ability from Hyper-Senses.
Any Surface (2): While spinning, you can move
across walls and water as though on solid
ground, gaining both the Wall-Crawling and
Water Walking modes of Hyper-Movement.
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Stretching (3)
Special Effects
Skills: None
Ready to Rumble (1): The minions act as soon as

they are summoned.
The hero is able to stretch his limbs up to four

zones zone away, allowing him to make attacks and
manipulate objects at a distance.
The hero also gains a +1 to Defend actions due to
his malleable body, basically allowing him to absorb
most attacks, and a +1 to grapple attempts.
The hero can also seep through any non-airtight
opening as a full round action.
Summon (5)
You can summon minions to your side, whether they
are human thugs, demons, or some other form. The
exact type of animation must be chosen when the
power is purchased.
To summon your minions, make a skill roll. If
successful, the Shifts gained on the roll are used to
summon one or more ranks of minions, with a single
member of each rank costing an equal number of
Shifts. For example, if the hero gained 5-Shifts on the
roll, he could choose to summon five Rank 1 minions,
two Rank 2 and one Rank 1 minions, one Rank 3 and
one Rank 2 minions, or any other combination.
Super-Powered (1): Your minions are powered. You

gain a number of Power Levels equal to the half the
opposition (rounded up) you rolled against to summon
them. Divide the Power Levels between powers as
desired. Because these are minions, you do not have
to calculate costs for the powers, you simply spend
Power Levels on a one-for-one basis, but all minions
must have the same powers.
Summon Swarm (4)

You can summon a large swarm of nearby small
creatures, such as insects, bats, or birds.
Make an Overcome action. The Shifts gained on the
roll are used to determine the rank of the swarm, as
well as any Special Effects that might be attached to
its attack. The swarm should be no more than one
zone away. To summon a swarm from further, the
Opposition increases by +1 per additional zone.
For example, if the hero achieved 4-Shifts on the roll,
he might choose to summon a Rank 2 swarm, and
apply both the Area Effect and Potent Special Effects
to the swarms attacks.
The minions cannot act until the round after they are
summoned. All minions operate as Nameless NPCs,
and last until the end of the scene unless Taken Out.
Keeping them around longer without making an
additional skill roll requires spending one fate point
per additional scene.
The swarm cannot act until the round after it is

summoned. It operates as a Nameless NPC, and lasts
until the end of the scene unless Taken Out. Controlling
the swarm longer than a single scene without making
an additional skill roll requires spending one fate point
per additional scene.
Rank 1: The minions are Average quality. They have

one or two Aspects, one or two Average (+1) skills,
and no stress boxes a one shift hit is enough to
take them out.
Rank 1: The swarm is Average quality. It has one or

two Aspects, one or two Average (+1) skills, and no
stress boxes a one shift hit is enough to take it out.
Rank 2: Your minions are Fair quality. Give them

one or two or Aspects, one Fair (+2), and one or two
Average (+1) skills, and one stress box each a two
shift hit is enough to take one of them out.
Rank 3: The minions are Good quality minions. They
have one or two Aspects, one Good (+3), one Fair
(+2), and one or two Average (+1) skills, and two
stress boxes each a three shift hit is enough to take
one of them out.
Rank 2: Your swarm is Fair quality. Give it one or two

or Aspects, one Fair (+2), and one or two Average
(+1) skills, and one stress box each a two shift hit is
enough to take it out.
Rank 3: The swarm is Good quality. It has one or two
Aspects, one Good (+3), one Fair (+2), and one or two
Average (+1) skills, and two stress boxes each a
three shift hit is enough to take one of it out.
Special Effects
Ready to Rumble (1): The swarm acts as soon as it
is summoned.
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Super-Speed (1-4)
Super-Strength (1-6)
Skills: None
Skills: None
You can move at greater than human speeds, giving

you a faster reaction time than most others and making
you harder to hit when youre in motion. Outside of
combat and chases, your movement is based solely
upon the narrative context. During combat, you can
gain the following benefits based on the power level
of Super-Speed.
You are stronger than mere mortals, able to

achieve feats of strength and hit with a force
others usually only imagine.
Power level 1: You move at a speed equivalent to

running horse. Providing there are no zone barriers to
stop you, you can move four zones per turn for free.
You have Speed Rating 2 in chases.
Power level 2: You can run a couple of hundred miles
per hour, roughly the equivalent of a top-end sports
car. At this power level, you can run up walls and
across water, and can move into any zone for free.
You can move six zones per turn for free, providing
there are no zone barriers in your way, and have
Speed Rating 3 in chases.
Power level 3: Although not super-sonic, your speed
can match that of small planes and any helicopter. In
chases, you have Speed Rating 4.
Power level 4: You are amongst the fastest beings
on Earth and can move at super-sonic (or greater)
speeds. You can avoid ground-based zone barriers
and move into any zone for free. By spending a
fate point, you can arrive at any scene you want to,
because you always have enough time to get there.
You have Speed Rating 5 in chases.
Special Effects
Hyper-Reflexes (1/2): Your super-speed gives you
hyper-fast reaction, granting you a +2 bonus to
initiative each round. If purchased twice, you gain +4
bonus.
React in a Flash (1): You may spend a fate point to
go first in an exchange, regardless of your initiative.
If multiple people with this special effect (or a similar
stunt) exercise this ability, they go in turn of their
normal initiative, before those who dont have the
stunt get a chance to act. If the exchange has already
started, and you have not yet acted, you may instead
spend a fate point to act next, effectively acting out of
the usual turn order.
Each level in Super-Strength provides you with

Weapon: 1 for melee attacks, and a +1 to Physique
rolls that involve a raw application of strength, such
as breaking things or making or breaking grapples,
but not to lifting things.
The general lifting ability of super-strength is shown
on the Super-Strength Lifting Benchmark table
below. To lift a weight, make a roll using Mediocre
(+0) skill rating plus your Super-Strength bonus in an
When lifting weight limits found on the normal Lifting
Benchmark table, no roll is necessary.
SuperStrength
Lifting
Benchmark
Mediocre (+0)
Lifting a car is no problem
Average (+1)
Semi trucks are weapons

in your grasp
Fair (+2)
You could lift a fully

loaded jet fighter
Good (+3)
Modern tanks are not a

weight problem for you
Great (+4)
You can heft a small building
Superb (+5)
You can move large buildings
Fantastic (+6)
With your strength,

Battleships can be carried
Epic (+7)
You are strong enough to

rais an aircraft carrier
Legendary (+8)
At this levelm your strength

can lift a sky scraper
Monstrous (+9)
You could lift the Great

Pyramid of Giza
Colossal (+10)
You can move mountains
Unearthly (+11)
You could lift an island
inconveivable (+12)
Your strength is a plot

device, congrats!
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Special Effects
Ground Slam (2): The hero can strike the ground and
hit everyone in the zone. Doing so means using a
Create an Advantage action with +2 bonus to place an
Off-Balanced, Staggered, or similar situation aspect
on them. They can Defend against the attempt.
automatically contact up to three people at once as a

free action. To coordinate a team of seven people (an
additional four individuals), however, he must succeed
at an Overcome action with Great (+4) opposition.
Once the link is established, it is maintained freely
until the telepath ends it, or someone involved is
rendered unconscious.
Skill Rating
Telepathic
Range
Skills: None
Mediocre (+0)
Several hundred feet
The hero has a swing line that allows him to avoid

ground based obstacles and situation aspects. The
swing line also provides a +2 bonus to grapples,
which you can make with your Accuracy skill, and
grants you Speed Rating 2 for chases. Providing
there are no zone barriers in your way, you can move
four zones per turn for free.
Average (+1)
A few miles
Fair (+2)
Several hundred miles
Good (+3)
Several thousand miles
Great (+4)
Anywhere on the planet
Superb (+5)
Easily from the Earth

to the moon
Fantastic (+6)
Anywhere within the

same star system
Epic (+7) or greater
Anywhere in the universe
Swinging (2)
If you use your Swing line to grapple an opponent,

they must succeed against opposition equal to the
number of Shifts you gained on your grapple roll
to break free.
Telekinesis (1)
Special Effect
The hero is able to move and manipulate objects that

he can see, without physically touching them, from
up to a zone away. Use your controlling skill as your
Strength for determining how much you can lift.
Omega Telepath (1): The character uses the Overcome

action to link more people than his rating in the
controlling skill as a free action.
Special Effects
Omega Telekinesis (1): When lifting objects with your
mind, you can lift weight from the Super-Strength
Lifting Benchmark table.
Telepathy (1)
Skills: Magic or Mental
The hero can facilitate mental communication with
another greater than animal intellect at a distance
determined by the controlling skill. When attempting
to contact more than one person at a time (such as
coordinating a team), the hero can automatically
contact a number of people equal to his skill rating,
to a minimum of one, as a free action. For each
additional person he wishes to simultaneously
contact or coordinate, he must make a roll against
passive opposition equal to the number of additional
people. So, a telepath with Mental at Good (+3) can
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Teleportation (1)
Skills: Magic or Power
The hero can travel a distance from one point to
another instantaneously without traversing through
the intervening space.
The hero can automatically teleport a distance equal
to the Power Level as shown on the Teleportation
Range table. At the GMs option, a character can
teleport a greater distance, but doing so requires
an Overcome action against Fair (+2) opposition
for a single Power Level range increase, and an
additional +2 to the opposition for each additional
level of range increase.
If the hero wishes to teleport an unwilling subject, the
hero must first make a grapple against the target. On
the next round, if the grapple is maintained, the target
can be teleported.
Power Level
Teleportation
Range
Power level 1
A few miles
Power level 2
Several hundred milss
Power level 3
Several thousand miles
Power level 4
Anywhere on the planet
Power level 5
Easily from the Earth

to the moon
Power level 6
Anywhere within the

same star system
Special Effects
Gateway (1): The hero opens a portal that allows
others to teleport through it.
Limits
Must See Destination (1): The hero must see the
location to which they are Teleporting. If the hero cannot
see the destination, he must make a roll against Fair
(+2) Opposition (increased as appropriate if attempting
to also teleport a greater than normal distance). Failure
indicates the hero has collided with an object and
takes Stress equal to the Material Strength.
Time Control (2)

You have rudimentary control over the flow of time,
allowing you to manipulate the time stream for
minor effects.
When you succeed with style on a Defend action,
you may take +2 on your next action in addition to
creating a Boost on the attacker. You also do not
have to reduce your damage to place a Boost on the
target when succeeding with style on an attack.
Time Travel (1)

The hero can travel to any point in time within a range
determined by the Power Level. At the GMs option, a
character can travel through a greater length of time,
but doing so requires an Overcome action against Fair
(+2) opposition for a single Power Level increase, and
an additional +2 to the opposition for each additional
level of range increase.
If the hero wishes to time travel an unwilling subject,
the hero must first make a grapple against the target.
On the next round, if the grapple is maintained, the
target can be time shifted. The time change lasts for
one scene, at which time the targets anchor to his
own time returns him to the exact point he was taken
from. By spending a fate point and rolling against
opposition equal to the time travelers Power Level,
the target can attempt to return to his home time
period within the same scene.
Power Level
Teleportation
Range
Power level 1
A few minutes
Power level 2
Several hours
Power level 3
Several months
Power level 4
Several years
Power level 5
Several Decades
Power level 6
The timestream is
your playground
Limits
Limited Travel (1): The hero can travel into the past
or future, but not both. As a result, he cant return to
his home time period.
Special Effect
Time Freeze (3): Once per scene, when you succeed
with style while creating an aspect representing the
slowing of time, instead of gaining free invokes, you can
spend a fate point to cause everyone you choose within
the zone to time-freeze. They can take no actions, and
are considered to be in a form of suspended animation.
The time-freeze lasts for a number of rounds equal to
your controlling skill rating +1.
119
The Laws of Time Travel
Creating Undead
The exact laws of moving throughout the

time stream are left to the GM to decide, and
may or may not be completely understood
by time travelling characters. For example,
can the time stream be altered by travelling
into the past, or do time travelers enter an
alternate time stream where their actions
create new branches that will never affect
their home phase?
Usually within the realm of NPCs, if the

character is a member of the Undead (such
as an actual vampire), then anyone Taken
Out by the vampiric attack rises within three
days as one of the Undead, usually under the
domination of the one who created them.
Two-Dimensional (2)
Skills: None
You have the ability to turn your body in a flat, twodimensional form.
You can automatically bypass any zone obstacle
that a single sheet of paper could slide through, and
gain +1 to Defend actions against attacks unless the
opponent is facing you directly from the front or back.
If someone is viewing you at an angle or from the
side, you gain +2 to Stealth.
Vampirism (2)
Skills: Mental or Power
The hero has the ability to take the life force or psychic
energy of others, and use it to heal himself.
You must first successfully grapple your opponent.
Once the target is grappled, make a roll as an Attack
action versus their Physique or Will as a Defend
action, depending upon whether you are a blood
or psychic vampire. Deal damage as normal for an
Attack action.
Additionally, for each Stress and Consequence
you cause, you heal an equal amount of Stress,
then Consequences (Stress must be healed first).
Consequences you cause the target heal damage
youve sustained for an amount equal to their
severity so a Mild Consequence heals 2-Stress, a
Moderate heals 4-Stress, and so forth.
If the GM wishes to allow such an option

to a player-character, increase the cost of
Vampirism by 4-points. Anyone transformed
into an Undead rises as an Average
quality Nameless NPC under their mental
domination. If it is another player-character
or Named NPC, the victim remains a full
character, and may or may not remain under
the thrall of their master depending upon the
needs of the story.
Water Control (4)

You can control the flow of water, causing it to move
at your command.
Anyone caught within the zone must make an
opposed against your Controlling skill each round. If
they fail or tie, they can take no other actions that
round as they struggle not to drown. If they choose to
succeed at a cost, then they can act as though they
only succeeded, but suffer 2-Stress. Invulnerability
doesnt negate this damage, but a resistance to
drowning does.
If they succeed, they take no Stress, but all actions
suffer a +1 to the opposition. If they succeed with
style, they act normally that round.
Water Control already has Area Effect included in
the cost.
Weather Control (5)

You can command the very forces of nature, allowing
you to create storms or diminish existing storms.
The hero can command the winds as though he
possessed the Air Control power, and can bring about
arctic storm conditions as though he possessed the
Cold Control power. Additionally, he can lightning
strike a target up to one zone away as an Attack
120
action using the controlling skill, causing an extra

2-hits of damage.
Although the character can automatically cancel any
condition he has created, diminishing a storm he
did not create requires an Overcome action against
opposition based on the intensity of the weather.
Generally speaking, the opposition should range from
Average (+1) for a normal thunderstorm, to Fantastic
(+6) for an F5 tornado or Category 5 hurricane.
Special Effects
Below is a list of special effects that can be applied
to a wide range of powers, along with the cost for
applying each to a power. The cost for a special effect
is always flat, regardless of how many Power Levels
the power might possess. It only adds to the total
cost of the power.
Advantageous (1)
You gain +2 to rolls to create situation aspects against
specific targets. The exact nature of the aspects that
can be created must be chosen when this special
effect is applied to the power, such as Confusion,
Dazed, Stunned, and so forth.
Each time this special effect is taken, it can apply to a
different type of situation aspect.
Area Effect (1)

You can attack everyone within the same zone without
having to split your result. Each additional time this
special effect is applied to the power, it increases the
area effect by an additional zone.
Charge Object (1)

The hero can touch an object, charging it with his blast
power. Whatever comes into contact with the object
after it is charged triggers the powers release. This
effectively allows him to create a Blast attack with
a time delay on when it goes off. Avoiding the blast
once the charge is triggered requires an Overcome
action.
Charging and throwing a small object functions the
same as the normal Blast power for damage, but can
only hit targets in the same zone as the attacker, and
uses the Accuracy skill.
Concussive (1)
For each Weapon rating you reduce your damage,
you knock your target back two zones instead of the
normal one zone.
Countering/Nullify
Resistance (1)
The power is particularly resistant to being countered or
nullified and increases the Opposition to do so by +2.
Dangerous (2)
Once per scene you may spend a fate point to force
your opponent to take a Moderate Consequence
instead of stress.
Deadly (1)
Once per issue, you can spend a fate point on a
successful attack action and cause your opponent
to take both Stress and a Consequence of equal
value. If the target was already going to take a
Consequence, he takes two Consequences instead.
This cannot be combined with the Potent, Deadly, or
Lethal special effects.
Demolishing (1)
When destroying objects, your power does double
the amount of Material Strength reduction.
Durable (1)
You can spend a fate point once per scene to
absorb a Mild Consequence. If the Consequence
was caused due to an attack that used the Potent,
Deadly, or Lethal special effects, the fate point goes
to the attacker.
Encasing (1)
If you succeed with style on the attack, you can
lower your damage (including damage gained from
Shifts) and use your ice to automatically encase
your target. To break free, they must roll against
passive opposition equal to the amount of damage
you transferred to the encasement
If you purchase this Special Effect twice, you
instead have Hardened Encasement. The passive
opposition to break free of your encasement is
increased by an additional +2.
121
Entangling (1)
You gain a +2 bonus when using the weapon to
grapple an opponent. To break free, the target must
succeed at an Overcome action with opposition equal
the Shifts you achieved on the grapple roll. Breaking
free cannot succeed at a cost.
Extended Range (1)

For each Weapon Rating that you reduce your damage,
you extend the range of your attack by an additional zone.
Follow-Up (1)
When you succeed with style on an attack, you do
not have to reduce your damage to place a Boost
on the target.
Gaseous (1)
Your damaging attack power is no longer instant, but
takes on a life of its own as it slowly fills the zone. It
takes three rounds to fill an entire zone. Any area it
covers is attacked each round by a skill rating equal to
the Weapon Rating of the power. If the power did not
have a Weapon Rating (such as the Emotion Control
power), then the gas attacks with Mediocre (+0) skill.
The gas cloud has 2-Stress boxes, and can only be
attacked by methods that make sense, such as using
Air Control to dissipate the gas.
Ghostly (1)
The power is able to normally affect astral and
intangible targets.
Hard Hitting (1)

Once per Issue, when you force an opponent to
take a consequence (except through the use of the
Potent, Deadly, or Lethal special effects), you can
spend a fate point to increase the consequences
severity (so mild becomes moderate, moderate
becomes severe). If your opponent was already
going to take a severe consequence, he must
either take a severe consequence and a second
consequence or be Taken Out.
Homing (2)
Whenever a Blast power with this enhancement
misses its target, it continues to make a new attack
each consecutive round, up to a maximum number of
rounds equal to the Power Level of Blast. Basically,
the power continues to attack on its own, and
122
subsequent attempts to hit the target do not count

toward the characters normal actions.
The extra attacks are at an Average (+1) skill rating,
and can be increased to Fantastic (+6) by taking
this special effect multiple times. If a Defend action
succeeds with style against the attack, the power is
considered to have been defeated (such as missiles
striking a different target), and the homing attack
ends.
Impervious (1/2)
This special effect is optional and requires GM and
group consensus before being added to a campaign.
It applies to the Invulnerability power.
Although Daring Comics allows any character to risk
injury if the opponent can generate enough Shifts
on an attack, sometimes in comic books certain
characters are just completely immune to a type of
damage up to a certain threshold.
A character with the Impervious special effect is
immune to all damage of a particular type. It could
be applied to energy damage, physical damage (such
as blades, bullets, and low-yield explosives), mental
damage, or even damage from arcane spells (such as
a mystic themed blast). In order for a character to have
this Special Effect, his Invulnerability level must be at
least equal to the Weapon Rating he is immune to.
At the Low Impervious level, the character is immune
to damage from attacks rated at Weapon 3 or lower,
and must have at least Invulnerability 3. At Highly
Impervious, he is immune to damage from Weapon 4
or lower conventional attacks, and must have at least
Invulnerability 4. The character cannot be harmed by
the attack, regardless of how many Shifts are gained
on the attack roll.
Sometimes, an attack will fall between the cracks
and will have to be judged on a case-by-case basis.
A Concussive Force blast could be argued to be a
physical attack against a character Impervious to
Weapon Rating in energy attacks, but as shown in
comics it might sometimes affect the character as
though it were an energy based attack.
Regardless of whether or not a character is
Impervious, they can still suffer knockback from an
attack as normal, even if they cant be damaged by it.
Indirect (1)
The attack power originates from a source other
than where the hero is physically located. The power
ignores obstacles and cover when hitting the target

(in other words, targets cant invoke aspects such
as Cover against this power), but does not ignore
Forcefields.
If you dont have enough overall power levels to

absorb the required reduction, then all your powers
are completely shut down and you take any overflow
as either Stress or Consequences.
Lethal (3)
If a power does not have Power Levels (such as

Shrinking, Teleportation, and so forth), the power can
take 1 point of reduction and is shut down.

force your opponent to take a Severe Consequence
instead of stress.
Mega-Attack (1/2)
Typically, this special effect is found in power-armor
themed powers, but can be applied to just about any
type of character with the right explanation.
Once per issue, you can double the Weapon Rating
of an attack power. The increase lasts for one attack
only. There are two levels to this special effect.
Basic: The power immediately shuts down after
the attack. Additionally, you take Stress, and then
Consequences if you dont have enough Stress
boxes, equal to the number of levels the power was
enhanced. The Consequences must be repaired or
recovered as normal.
For example, lets say you had Energy Beam 4, and
used the special effect to do a single attack at Energy
Beam 8. After the attack, Energy Beam is shutdown.
Additionally, since Energy Beam was enhanced by 4
levels, you take 4-Stress. If you cant cover the Stress,
you take any overflow as Consequences.
Energy Beam is automatically recovered at the end
of the scene. To recover it during the scene requires
spending a round on an Overcome action against an
opposition equal to the powers level. In the above
example, that would be a Great (+4) Opposition. Of
course, you could decide to recover only a portion of
it, say Energy Beam 2, against a Fair (+2) Opposition.
The recovery action, though, can only be attempted
once during the scene.
To recover during a scene, roll whichever skill would
make narrative sense (such as a Controlling skill,
Physique Technology, or Will).
Advanced: The power still shuts down after the
attack, but this version allows you to first apply
those levels to reduce your other powers, before you
have to consider Stress or Consequences. These
changes last until the end of the scene in which
the special effect was used, then your power levels
return to normal.
Just as in the basic version, you can attempt to

recover the lowered powers during the scene. Doing
so requires an Overcome action with opposition equal
to the total number of reduced levels to be recovered.
So, if Energy Beam 4 had been shut down, plus you
had spread the reduction to lower Super-Strength by
2 and Flight by 2, the Overcome action would be at a
Legendary (+8) Opposition.
Of course, you could attempt to recover less power.
For example, Energy Beam 2 and Flight 2 for only a
Great (+4) Opposition.
However you decide to handle it, the recovery action
can only be attempted once during the scene.
Otherwise, all reduced power levels are automatically
recovered at the end of the scene.
Americannon has Energy Blast 4, Flight
3, Forcefield 3, and Hyper-sense 3 (Dark
Vision, Full Vision, Hyper-Hearing). He
doubles Energy Blast for 1 action, making it
a Weapon Rating 8.
Afterward, he can either take 4-Stress, or
reduce some of his other powers by a total of
4 levels. He reduces Hyper-Sense by 3, and
Flight by 1.
Multi-Targeting (2)
When you make an area attack, you do not split your
results between targets, and can filter out targets you
do not want to be affected. (Note that the cost of this
Special Effect already includes Area Attack.)
Penetrating (2)
When you succeed with style on an attack,
you may spend a fate point to ignore a targets
imperviousness, as well as bypass 2 levels of
Invulnerability. If the target is not Impervious, you
Persistent (3)
Once per scene, when your attack causes the target to
take a Consequence from your power, you may spend
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a fate point. Doing so causes the original attack to

continue to attack the target each consecutive round
with a skill rating equal to the Shifts you generated on
the attack roll. To stop the consecutive attacks, the
target must succeed at a Defend action.
Potent (1)
force your opponent to take a Mild Consequence
instead of stress.
Power Stress (1)

You may spend a fate point once per scene to lower
your powers instead of taking Stress (including if
your Stress boxes are full and it would have been a
Consequence). The total stress can be applied to one
power or multiple powers. For example, if your hero
took a 5-stress hit, he could instead spend the fate
point and, for his single use of the effect this scene,
lower one power by 2 levels, a second power by 2
levels, and a third power by 1 level.
Like Stress, the power levels recover at the end
of the scene.
Reinforced (3)
You can spend a fate point once per scene to absorb a
Severe Consequence. If the Consequence was caused
due to an attack that used the Potent, Deadly, or Lethal
special effects, the fate point goes to that character.
Reroute Power (1)

Once per scene, you can spend a fate point to
reroute power. For example, lowering one power by
2 to increase another power by 2, or two powers by
+1 level each.
You can revert the power levels back to normal at
any time during the scene, but cannot reroute power
again until the next scene. In other words, if you
spent the fate point to reroute 4 levels of Force Field
into 2 levels of Energy Beam and 2 levels of Energy
Absorption, you can automatically revert any portion
of those levels back into Force Field if you really
need to, even across multiple rounds. Just remember
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that you cannot reroute any powers again for the

remainder of the scene, so be sure you want to revert
levels back before you do so.
There is a limit, however. You still cant go above
a powers normal power level limit (such as Power
Level 4 for Flight, or Power Level 6 for Blast).
Set-Up (1)
When you succeed with style on an attack and lower
your damage to place a boost, you instead gain a
situation aspect with a free invocation.
Tough (2)
You can spend a fate point once per scene to absorb
a Moderate Consequence. If the Consequence
was caused due to an attack that used the Potent,
Deadly, or Lethal special effects, the fate point goes
to that character.
Trans-Dimensional (1)
The power can affect targets in other dimensions as
if the wielder were actually in that dimension. The
power affects one other dimension (chosen by the
player) each time this special effect is taken.
Unnoticeable (1)
The power, whether it is a physical blast or some
other sort of obvious attack, is completely invisible
to the naked eye, making it almost impossible to tell
where it came from simply by sight.
Useable on Others (1)

When applied to a power that normally only affects
the person who has it (such as Invulnerability), it can
now affect others through touch. To do so, make a roll
against Fair (+2) Opposition.
Volley (1)
When added to an attack power, the power fires a
rapid volley of shots at the target. Using a volley adds
+1 to the attack roll.
Limits
The following list covers some of the more common
forms of Limits that powers can take, along with the
overall power set cost reduction for applying them to
the power. The cost reduction is a flat rate subtracted
from the powers total cost. No power can be reduced

below a 1-point cost.
Always On (1)
The power is always on and cannot be turned off,
though it can be negated. If the power is negated,
it automatically reactivates when the source of the
nullification is removed.
Cannot Use Power

Stunts (1)
The power cannot be modified using Power Stunts.
Damaging (1)
Each round the hero uses the power, he takes
2-Stress. Invulnerability does not reduce the damage.
Distracting (1)
Using the power takes concentration and causes
the hero to not be able to properly defend himself.
Attacks against the hero gain a +2 bonus.
Fatiguing (1)
Each use of the power causes the hero 2-Stress. The
hero can resist the fatigue by spending a fate point,
but Invulnerability does not mitigate the Stress.
Grappling Attack (1)

The power requires the hero to grapple the target
successfully before he can attack him with the power.
After a successful grapple, the hero may attempt to
damage his target on subsequent rounds by making
an opposed roll versus the target.
Longer Activation (1)

The power takes longer to activate and the hero can
only use it every other round, instead of every round.
Reduced Range (1)

Each time this limit is taken, a ranged power has its
range reduced by two zones.
Restricted (1)
The power is restricted in some way. Perhaps its not
effective against a certain substance, usable only on
objects or only on living beings, the hero must chant
or perform gestures, or so forth.
Sense Reliant (1)

The power requires that the target be able to sense
you in some manner, such as be able to see you, hear
you, touch you, and so forth. The type of sense is
determined when this Limit is taken.
Unstable (3)
The power is unstable and doesnt always work when
the hero desires. Whenever the hero wants to use this
power, roll the dice. If the dice roll zero to +4, the
power works normally. On a roll of 1 to 3, the power
fails to activate. On a roll of 4, the power burns out
and cant be used for the rest of the scene.
Wild Power (3)

The powers functionality and magnitude are outside
of the heros control. Such powers are under the
GMs control as to when they activate and in what
way. (Note: This is a Limit instead of a Complication
due to the fact that its constant use at the GMs
discretion is too broad to net a fate point each time
it comes into play.)
Building Your Own Powers

In Daring Comics, we give you plenty of powers to
choose from and modify through special effects
and limits, but powers in comic books are extremely
far ranging. It would be impossible to cover every
conceivable possibility.
Although you have plenty of ready-made powers
to choose from, were also going to give you the
guidelines for creating your own powers. Just as with
stunts, creating powers uses a couple of guidelines.
Unlike stunts, its a little less of a semi-exact science.
The powers we see in comic books are extremely
wide and varied, and some of them just dont cleanly
fit into an exact build system. When you hit those
powers, the guidelines will help in determining a cost
and achieving some balance at the table.
When a power just wont fit as cleanly into a
mechanical build system as we would like, such as
when it uses an effect or two that are a bit more broad
or unique, thats okay. Its actually hard to break any
Fate system game, and Daring Comics is the same.
For such powers, either break it down further into a
basic effect for taking the power, and then put the
rest into some special effects that can be purchased,
or modify the cost as feels best. A perfect example of
such powers are Immunity and Power Nullify. Both
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the upper two tiers of the power offer effects that are
extremely hard to gauge. Do your best to determine
how many 2-Shift benefits the overall effect is worth,
and apply a 1-cost per 2-Shift.
Unlike with normal stunts, many effects of a power
will have a broader use instead of being tied only
to certain circumstances.
The main rule to the entire process is to build powers
and associated special effects that are fun to play and
emulate what youve seen in comic books. As long as
the cost falls somewhere within the guidelines, youll
be all right. Although building them can be fun, dont
get too boggled down with the minutiae. You can
always adjust the power later. Just build the power
and have fun!
Determining Effect Costs

For the most part, youll notice that most of the prebuilt powers combined multiple 1-Point Effects in
order to offer a broad range of power effects. This is
the same principle as building stunts, and is really the
core basis of creating powers as well. Many of the
example powers stack multiple 1-Point effects.
In some cases, however, powers offer a very broad
base effect that doesnt fall neatly into the 2-Shifts of
effect, or 1-Point of broad effect. For those situations,
weve given guidelines on how to determine cost via
the 2-Point through 5-Point effects examples below.
It is rather hard to break a power in Daring Comics
by being off by a point of cost, so theres no need to
sweat every minor detail. Simply create the powers
effects, and use the guidelines below to determine
a rough cost. The goal is to have fun and create the
super-hero you want to play in an ongoing series.
Keep in mind that although we give only up to a 5-Point
effect, the final cost for your power can actually cost
more if it combines multiple broad effects, such as
the Affliction power.
1-Point Effects
Every single power in Daring Comics automatically
costs at least 1-point and offers a base effect. The
base effect should be similar to what a stunt offers: a
+2 to a roll, or a 2-Shift effect.
If the power offers a broad bonus to an Attack or
Defend action, such as a Weapon Rating or Armor
Rating, then the cost is 1-point for a 1-Shift base
effect. Blast, Invulnerability, and Melee Attack are
examples of that kind of power. Likewise, if it offers
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a more restricted Weapon or Armor rating, then using

the 2-Shift guideline is better. The Absorption power
is such an example.
After you determine the base effect for the mandatory
1-point cost, you can apply additional effects for an
additional 1-point cost using the guidelines below.
A +2 effect to the power (best for

Create an Advantage), or a +1 Attack,
Defend, or Damage Mitigation effect
You can add a secondary effect to the power that
grants an additional +2 bonus to a certain type of
action (like being able to Create an Advantage with
the power where appropriate), or that grants a broad
+1 bonus to any attack or Defend action.
Add an Action to the Power

or Associated Skill
This grants the power another type of action (though
youre still only allowed one particular action per
round), such as creating solid barriers with the power;
or it creates a rule exemption as part of the action:
examples include a power allowing you to grapple
opponents at a distance, causing limited damage
without having to make an attack roll, and so forth.
For simple effects that dont directly harm another
character, or where certain powers would allow
the character to automatically bypass your effect,
requiring a roll against Mediocre (+0) Opposition is
usually good enough. If the effect harms another
character or is more difficult to bypass, the Opposition
to use the effect should be at least Fair (+2).
Use one Skill in Place of Another

This type of effect is identical to one of the stunt
creation effects it allows you to use one skill in
place of another for particular types of rolls. One
example of this is the Electrical option under Melee
Attack, which allows you to use your powers skill,
instead of Thief or Technology, when attempting to
short out or bypass electronic locks
2-Point Effect
A 2-Point effect is a little broader, but still limited.
Generally speaking, this type of effect somehow alters
a character in a limited way, such as increasing or
decreasing a skill or power, adding temporary aspects
to yourself with extra free invocations, and so forth.
3-Point Effect
The three point effect powers are what are generally
categorized as the mid-level broad powers. They
allow you to at least partially restrict the actions of
another character (such as the Paralysis power), allow
the power to continue attacking on its own, or might
even allow you to bypass Stress and go directly to
causing consequences.
4-Point & 5-Point Effects

Now we get into the truly broad effects. These
point level powers greatly expand a characters
capabilities in an exchange or scene. Examples
include being able to assume all new powers or power
sets, gaining extra actions due to having duplicates
or minions appear at your side, and even being able
to completely take over the actions (or even body) of
another character.
The difference between a 4-Point and a 5-Point power
is that the 4-Point power has a built in limitation that
can cause the power to not work. Examples of such
powers are Animal Control and Empower.
Inherent Limitations
Sometimes, a power will have inherent limitations
that just make sense with what weve seen in comic
books. For example, the Absorption power requires
that you use the absorbed energy by your next turn
or you lose it. Adaptation takes a minute or more to
automatically activate. Adrenaline Boost requires
an emotional trigger first be met, and requires a roll
to activate the trigger. Animal Control and Animal
Mimicry both require animals to first be present
nearby.
Determining the
Oppositions Roll to
Break the Power
Some powers will last more than a single exchange
and require the target to make a roll to escape the
effects. There are several ways to handle the rolls
difficulty, and which one is used is really dependent
upon the narrative nature you chose for the power.
Passive Opposition Equal to Shifts: With this
method, the opposition for the target is equal to the
number of Shifts the user gained on the original roll.
This method is a good choice when how well the user
did on activating the power has a direct impact on the
target being able to break free from the effects.
Opposed Roll: The target must make an opposed
roll against the user to break free from the power.
This method is idea when the user must keep putting
effort into the power (even though the opposed roll
doesnt count as an action for the user), and a bad roll
could end the effects, or force the user to spend fate
points and invoke aspects.
Passive Opposition Equal to Users Skill Rating:
This method can be used when the general potency
of the users ability with the power is what the target
must fight against to break the effects, but the user
isnt actually involved in keeping the power going.
When creating built-in limitations, look at how much

the limitation affects the powers usage. If it limits the
power enough where it can cause it to not function
for a time in play, subtract 1 point from the powers
cost for each limitation. Keep in mind, though, that a
powers cost can never drop below 1-point, so such
limitations are best when built into more expensive,
versatile powers.
Sometimes, you will have to use your best judgement.
For example, a power with a 3-Point effect that lets
the power continue to attack on its own each round
that is limited to one attack per day instead (such as
the Affliction power), might warrant a 2 point cost
reduction.
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Under the Hood:

Determining
Opposition Type
Youll notice that choosing one type of
opposition style over another doesnt affect
the powers point cost. This is because
as we learned in testing the concept, it
became a bit impossible to find a central
weight to determine cost.
On the one hand, you could make it an
opposed roll, which now factors in whether a
side has fate points to spend on the roll and
how the dice work out.
When considering using the Shifts generated
verses the Skill rating, that too wasnt
consistent. We saw low skilled characters
get a high number of shifts, and highly skilled
characters do the opposite. Then it came
down to: should the power work simply on
the characters inherent skill with the power,
or should how well they did when using the
power be the opposition? Weve seen it go
either way in comic books.
At the end of the day, none of the three options
provided a consistent enough benefit or
drawback to allow for a solid point build cost to
the power. But not affecting the powers cost
also means that if a pre-built power doesnt
work the way you envision it, you can switch
out one difficulty option for another without
affecting the powers listed cost.
For those who would prefer one option cost
more than another, make one opposition
style your base default at a 0-point cost,
make another a 1-point cost, and the final
a 2-point cost. How you set-up those costs
should be determined by how the powers
play out in your game.
Write It Up
And from there, its just a matter of describing the
power and how each of the effects work. If you want
to have scaling effects for your powers, then allow it
to be purchased in multiple levels. Typically, multiple
level powers should range from Power Level 3 to
Power Level 6. Theres no hard and fast rule on how
high to go, as itll honestly depend on what effects
the power possesses, and in many cases how great a
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bonus to particular actions you might want the power

to give to a skill use.
Lets take a look at the build for the Affliction
power, which to be honest was easy to
design, and a complete pain in the patootie
to do a cost for.
Your character can infect others with disease
or poison. To infect the target, make a skill roll
opposed by the targets Physique (or Will for
a unique type of mystic or psychic disease).
Each Shift generated counts as the attack skill
for your disease. If you tie, your disease has
Mediocre (+0) skill.
Well call this a 2-Point effect, since the Shifts
have a somewhat broad effect.
Once infected, the target gains a temporary
aspect related to the type of illness. As long
as the aspect remains, theyre attacked by the
disease on the following exchange. Since this is
an internal attack, Invulnerability does not negate
damage from the disease, but Immunity and
Regeneration do work normally. Damage from
the disease causes Consequences, not Stress.
Each day after the initial attack, the disease
attacks the target again, and will continue to
do so until it is defeated. If the victim is Taken
Out or concedes, he is dead.
Well call this a 6-Point effect, because it
basically combines two 3-Points effects. The
disease attacks on its own, and it bypasses
Stress. But, since the disease only attacks
once per day instead of each exchange, well
also call that a 3-Point inherent limit. After all,
an entire day gives him plenty of time to get
cured. So, the total effect is 3-Points
If the disease fails the attack roll, the character
takes no damage that day. Once the disease
fails two attacks in a row, the characters
immune system has beaten it and he is no
longer infected.
Well call this a 1-Point effect since it requires
two failed attacks instead of one.
Curing the disease through the application
of the Treatment skill or the Healing power is
rolled against opposition equal to the Attack
skill rating of disease to remove the aspect.
Consequences gained from the disease must
be healed separately.
Well consider this another 1-Point effect.

So the total cost for the Affliction power
is 7-Points.
Building Your Own

Special Effects
Concussive: For each Weapon rating you reduce

your damage, you knock your target back two zones
instead of the normal one.
Extended Range: For each Weapon Rating that you
reduce your damage, you extend the range of your
blast by an additional zone.
Okay, so you can create your own stunts, you can

create your own powers, so how do you create your
own special effects?
The special effect can allow a power to make a

single exception for any other game rule that doesnt
precisely fit into the category of an action.
Special Effects are nothing more than stunts for your

powers, and use similar guidelines.
Demolishing: When destroying objects, your

power does double the amount of Material
Strength reduction.
Add a New Effect

to a Power
The most basic option for a stunt is to allow a power
have another effect to it that is not a basic form of
the power, but something that can be added on as
fits a character concept.
Immortality (Regeneration): The hero heals even
if dead. The heros body must be relatively intact in
order for the hero to come back to life.
Subtle (Mind Control): Once free, the target is
unaware of the Mind Control and suffers a memory
loss (a blackout) for the time he was under the
influence of the power.
Increase the Primary

Effect in Some Way
A special effect can also increase the primary effect in
some way, either by making it slightly more potent or
by taking away one of its inherent limitations.
Omega Telekinesis (Telekinesis): When lifting
objects with your mind, you can lift weight from the
Super-Strength Lifting Benchmark table.
Rapid Shapeshift (Shapeshift): Your skill with the
power is so advanced that you can shapeshift as a
free action in any given round.
Create a secondary
effect at the cost of
the primary effect
Sometimes, a special effect might grant the power a
secondary effect or boost to an effect, but at some
type of cost to the primary effect.
Indirect: The attack power originates from a

source other than where the hero is physically
located. The power ignores obstacles and cover
when hitting the target (in other words, targets
cant invoke aspects such as Cover against this
power), but does not ignore Forcefields.
Penetrating: When you succeed with style on
an attack, you may spend a fate point to ignore a
targets imperviousness, as well as bypass 2 levels
of Invulnerability. If the target is not Impervious, you
Add a Bonus to an
Action under Specific
Circumstances
The special effect can add a +2 bonus to using the
powers skill in certain situations, or a +1 when using
a power under very broad circumstances.
You can also use this to establish any effect worth two
shifts as an additional benefit of succeeding at the skill
roll. This might be Fair (+2) passive opposition, the
equivalent of a 2-point hit, a mild consequence, or an
advantage that takes Fair (+2) opposition to remove.
Entangling: You gain a +2 bonus when using a
specific power to grapple or encase an opponent.
Volley: When added to an attack power, the power
fires a rapid volley of shots at the target. Using a
volley adds +1 to the attack roll.
Triggered Special Effects

Some special effects require the hero to achieve a
certain degree of success when using the power
in order for the bonus to activate. Typically, it
129
means the associated skill roll must achieve a

success with style.
Follow-Up: When you succeed with style on an
attack, you do not have to reduce your damage to
place a Boost on the target.
Set-Up: When you succeed with style on an attack
and lower your damage to place a boost, you instead
gain a situation aspect with a free invocation.
Limited Use Special Effects

For some powerful special effects, instead of
increasing the cost to buy them, consider applying a
limited use to them. They might be usable once per
conflict, scene, or issue, requires a fate point, requires
a specific trigger to activate, or even all three.
Persistent: Once per scene, when your attack
causes the target to take a Consequence from your
power, you may spend a fate point. Doing so causes
the energy type to continue to attack the target
each consecutive round with a skill rating equal to
the power level (this does not count as your action),
with the target using Physique to Defend. To stop
the consecutive attacks, the target must roll against
opposition equal to your power level.
Potent: Once per scene you may spend a fate
point to force your opponent to take a Moderate
Consequence instead of stress.
Special Effect Families

Like with Stunts, sometimes it makes sense for
special effects to create tier effects, where the special
effect has a basic version, and then a more powerful
version that either costs more and can be taken alone
(such as with Mega-Attack), or requires you to first
purchase the basic form.
For special effects that require the ascending tiers
all be purchased, usually the higher tiers will just
increase whatever bonus the lower tiers offered.
The special effects under Intangible are one such
stacking family.
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Building Limits
Limits are simply things that limit a powers ability
to function or limit how broad a power can be, and
always provide a 1-point cost reduction to the overall
powers total cost. No power can be reduced below
a 1-point cost.
Keep in mind, this is per effect that is limited. So,
if a power comes with three core features, and the
character can only use one of them, the total cost for
the limits is 2, because it takes away two features.
Force Control allow the following core effects:
Add +2 to grapple attempts when using some
sort of force energy to entangle your target, and
can grapple any target in the same zone as you.
Your controlling skill counts as your strength.
When creating constructs and barriers, the
opposition for someone to break them is +1
greater than the number of Shifts you generated.
Use your controlling skill as though it was
Super-Strength, allowing you to knock back
an opponent with Force Control, or lift heavy
objects up to a zone away.
If the player decided that his Force Control was
more restricted and could only create barriers,
then he would be taking away the grapple and
pseudo-telekinesis effects. That would lower
of the power set by 2 points.
If the limit is particularly potent and its effects takes the
power out of the players control, such as the Unstable
and Wild Power limits, they are worth three points.

Super-science is as much a staple of comic books
as colorful costumes and extraordinary powers.
From a villains freeze gun or fear inducing gas, to
dimensional portals that allow travel and exploration
into foreign realms, to highly advanced power-armor,
the inventions and technologies of comic books
have been a sense of wonder since the debut of the
super-hero genre.
But science and technology dont hold a monopoly
on the extraordinary in comic books. Dark rituals
bring forth demonic servants, and mystic artifacts
both good and evil are the tools of the trade for the
supreme sorcerers.
This chapter gives you the means of creating your
own super-science inventions or arcane rituals and
artifacts. It also provides you with guidelines for
exactly how much your Resource skill can afford,
and provides basic Material Strength for busting
through objects. Finally, for those of you who have
the Personal Headquarters or Team Base stunts,
this is the chapter where you get to spend those
points to build your secret base of operations, be it
a remodeled cave, volcanic fortress, orbital satellite,
mansion, flying aircraft carrier, or even a city-sized
trans-dimensional organic vessel.
Gear, Devices, and Stress

Now is a good place to talk about the possibility
of damaging someones device or gear. All devices
and gear can take 2-Stress before being destroyed,
unless increased through special effects.
When attacking an item, make an attack roll against
the character holding it, but they get +2 to Defend.
If you hit, Stress is dealt to the item instead of the
character. If the item is not being held (such as an
automated turret or a computer array), it defends
with Mediocre (+0) skill if it makes sense for the
stationary device to roll Defend at all.
Gear vs. Devices

Were tossing around the gear and devices terms,
but what do they mean? In the context of playing the
game, gear refers to your everyday types of weapons
and armors. That means your average handguns,

semiautomatic and automatic rifles, grenades,
flamethrowers, and things of that nature. A device, by
comparison, is something not found in your everyday
world. That includes things like artificially intelligent
robots, freeze-ray weapons, fear gas, electricity firing
pistols, and so forth.
Everyday Stuff & Armaments:

The Crunch Option
Now, before we talk about all those wonderful toys,
lets take a look at everyday gear, which is different
than the devices youre looking to build. We call this
method The Crunch Option because youll see a less
crunchy way to handle normal gear and weapons in
Appendix: Turning the Dials.
Smartphones, GPS, cars, motorcycles, even the
mundane automatic weapons and Kevlar of some
more lethal street vigilantes, exist in comic books the
same as in the real world. When creating your hero,
getting an inventory of weapons and armor is handled
by taking the arsenal stunt, or maybe by creating your
own stunt under the Contact or Resources skill.
Of course, stunts arent the only way to get items.
During play, you can make a Resource roll to get your
hands on it. The item doesnt automatically come
back to you like it would if obtained by purchasing a
stunt, but you can always try to buy more as long as
it makes narrative sense that you have the resources
available to do so.
The Available Funds section under the Resource skill
gives a guideline on opposition to making purchases.
Typically, a Mediocre (+0) Resource rating gives a
character at least some chance of affording most
street level weaponry.
Gear Complication
Although you dont necessarily have to list it on your
sheet, all gear, regardless of the type, automatically
possesses a Complication that allows it to somehow
be shut down for the remainder of the scene. Whether
it is a Kevlar vest, a laptop, a set of lock picks, or
a firearm, the GM can give you a fate point to shut
131
it down. Note that this is not the same as placing a

Disarmed aspect on someone, which is covered in
Chapter 12: Comic Book Action.
Weapon 4: Personal level anti-armor weapons

(such as LAW Rockets) landmines, grenades, and
vehicle level guns.
Everyday Items
Weapon 5: Tank canon, aircraft missiles, and most

starfighter weapons.
Below is a small listing of some everyday items,

what special effects they bring with them, and their
associated costs. It would be impossible to list every
possible item that could be owned, so feel free to
expand the list as needed for your series.
Item
Special Effects
Binoculars
Telescopic Vision
Comm-Link
Signal based Telepathy
Flashlight
Ignores 1 point of
darkness based situation
aspect opposition
Laptop
Internet access
Lockpicks
+2 to rolls to
overcome locks
Medkit
+1 to medical
treatment rolls
Night Vision Goggles
Darkvision
Smartphone
Internet access, GPS
Weapons
Mundane weapons range from a pocket knife, to
firearms and explosives, to vehicle mounted and
anti-vehicle weaponry. Each weapon is assigned a
Weapon Rating to represent its damaging capabilities,
as shown below.
Since this game is designed to emulate comic books,
where super-powers and super-science are typically
the focus of combat scenes, youll discover that most
weapons fall into the same Weapon Rating category.
A few will have some effects listed, but for the most
part damage is kept abstract between most weapons
available on the streets.
Weapon 1: Pocket weapons, knives, and saps.
Weapon 2: Swords, bats, and most pistols.
Weapon 3: High-caliber pistols, automatic rifles,
and shotguns.
132
Weapon 6: space cruiser weaponry, or most weapons

capable of levelling a city block.
Extreme Weaponry: For those interested in the
use of truly devastating weapons as a threat
the heroes must defeat, use Weapon 8 for a low
yield nuclear warhead, and Weapon 10+ for the
mountain-buster nuclear missiles.
Common Weapon
Special Effects
Area Effect (1): You can attack everyone within
the same zone without having to split your result.
Each additional time this special effect is applied, it
increases the area effect by an additional zone.
Armor Penetrating (1-2): The weapon ignores Armor
1 when calculating damage. If taken twice, it ignores
up to Armor 2 (this includes the Invulnerability power).
Aspect (1): Successfully damaging the target also
creates a Situation Aspect on them.
Concealed Weapon (1): The weapon is either very
small, or collapses to be smaller than its normal size.
When hiding the weapon, you gain +2 to Deceit.
Continuous (3): A normal special effect applied
to flamethrowers, this represents the target being
more than set On Fire by means of an aspect. When
you succeed with style on an attack action, you
can lower your damage by one to place an aspect
instead of a boost. As long as the aspect remains
on the target, they continue to be attacked by the
flames each subsequent round, with Mediocre (+0)
attack skill. Removing the aspect to stop the attacks
requires putting out the flames. The opposition to
remove the aspect is equal to the number of Shifts
you gained on the attack roll.
Dangerous (2): Once per scene you may spend a
fate point to force your opponent to take a Moderate
Consequence instead of stress.
Delay (1): Usually applied to explosives. Instead of
detonating on impact, the explosion occurs after a
set time. Each time this special effect is applied, the
explosion occurs one step later on the Time Increment
Melee Weapons
Rating
Range
Special Effects
Baton
N/A
Knife
N/A
Rapier
N/A
Short Sword
N/A
Long Sword
N/A
table, beginning at one round. So, if applied once, the

explosive detonates the next round. If applied twice,
it detonates a half minute later, and so forth.
Lethal (3): Once per scene you may spend a fate point
to force your opponent to take a Severe Consequence
instead of stress.
Demolishing (1): When destroying objects, the

weapon does double the amount of Material
Long Range (1): The weapon is able to hit things

more than two zones away, giving you a +2 zone
range each time it is added to a weapon.
Strength reduction.
EMP (1): The weapon automatically shuts down
electronic devices, such as smartphones, cars,
computers, electrical grids, and NPC robots. Against
player-character and Named NPC robots, it gain a +4
bonus to the Attack roll.
Non-Lethal (0): The weapon fires non-lethal rounds.

When an opponent is Taken Out, the defeat never
results in death from this weapon (though whether
or not they die from other means is a different
story). Adding this special effect does not affect the
weapons cost.
The exact range of the EMP depends on the device. A

simple bomb might be an entire zone, while a nuclear
warhead would be many miles in diameter.
Potent (1): Once per scene you may spend a fate point
to force your opponent to take a Mild Consequence
instead of stress.
Entangling (1): You gain a +2 bonus when using the

weapon to grapple an opponent. To break free, the
target must succeed at an Overcome action with
opposition equal the Shifts you achieved on the
grapple roll. Breaking free cannot succeed at a cost.
Expert Wiring (1): Typical of explosives, your
Technology rolls to disarm the weapon suffers a +2
to the opposition.
Full or Semi Auto (1): The weapon is capable of firing
a lot of bullets in a very short time. Whenever you
use the weapon to create a situation aspect, such as
Cover Fire or Hail of Lead, you get +2 to the roll.
Hardiness (1-6): The weapon is slightly harder to
break. This special effect works the same as the
power, and can be applied up to six times.
Independent Attack (1): The weapon is capable of
attacking on its own, such as an automated turret.
The skill is Mediocre (+0) for a single application of
this Special Effect, and increases by +1 for each
additional application, up to a maximum of Fair (+2).
Remote (1): Usually a special effect for explosive

devices, you can detonate the bomb from a distance.
When applied once, the range is roughly a half-mile.
When applied twice, you can remote detonate from
up to a mile away.
Targeting (1): Whether through special stabilizers,
a target scope, or some other method, the weapon
provides a +1 bonus to your Accuracy roll when you
take the time to aim.
Armor
From your basic leather jacket to law enforcement
and military-grade Kevlar, armor ranges in scope from
Armor 1 to Armor 6, though personal armor usually
tends to stay within the Armor 1 and Armor 2 ranges,
with Armor 3 being the best experimental army used
by the military.
Armor 1: Leather, layered clothing
Armor 2: Bullet Proof Vest (i.e. Kevlar)
Armor 3: Equivalent to an armored vehicle or
bulletproof glass
133
Ranged
Weapons
Rating
Range
Special Effects
Grenade
Thrown or 2
Area Effect, Dangerous
Flashbang
Thrown or 2
Area Effect, Aspect:

Blinded and Deafened
Smoke Grenade
Thrown or 2
Area Effect, Successful

hit places Aspect:
chocking and Blinded
Net Gun
Entangling
Flamethrower
Continuous, Potent
Crossbow
N/A
9mm Pistol
N/A
.50 Caliber Pistol
N/A
Shotgun
N/A
Submachine Gun
+2 to create cover fire
Sniper Rifle
+1 toAiming, Long Range (3)
Assault Rifle
+2 to create cover fire
Rocket Launcher
Area Effect, Dangerous,

Demolishing, Long Range (3)
Vehicle Mounted Gun
Armor Penetrating,
Dangerous, Long Range (1)
Tank Cannon
A lot
Are Effect, Armor

Penetrating(2), Demolishing,
Potent, Long Range (A lot)
Aircraft Missile
A lot
Area Effect, Armor Penetrating

(2), Demolishing, Lethal,
Long Range (a lot)
Armor 4: Equivalent to a heavily armored vehicle

(such as an armored truck or tank)
Durable (1): You can spend a fate point once per

scene to absorb a Mild Consequence.
Armor 5: Extremely invulnerable
Environmental (1): The armor grants +2 to Physique

for resisting hostile environments
Armor 6: Capital Starship level of invulnerability
Common Armor
Special Effects
Camouflage (1): The suit is able to blend into a
specific environment, such as jungle, urban, desert,
arctic, and so forth. It grants a +2 bonus to Stealth
rolls when in the appropriate environment.
134
Tough (2): You can spend a fate point once per scene
to absorb a Moderate Consequence.
Reinforced (3): You can spend a fate point once per
scene to absorb a Severe Consequence.
Armor
Rating
Special
Effects
Leather
N/A
Kevlar
N/A
Reinforced Kevlar
Camouflage,
Durable
Experimental Kevlar
Tough
Platemail
Durable
Vehicles
Common Vehicle Special Effects
Armed (1 per Weapon Rating): The vehicle is
armed with one weapon each time this special
effect is applied.
Armored (1-6): The vehicle has Armor 1 rating for a
single application, with an additional rating per extra
application. Armor cannot go above Armor 6.
Auto-Pilot (1): Typically applied to vehicles, it can
now fly or drive itself with Mediocre (+0) skill. This
special effect can be applied two more times, up to a
maximum Fair (+2) skill rating.
Hardiness (1-6): The vehicle is tougher and
stronger than a typical civilian car. This special
effect works the same as the power, and can be
applied up to six times.
Vehicle
Speed
Rating
Special
Effects
Motorcycle
N/A
Basic Car
N/A
Sports Car
N/A
Luxury Car
N/A
Limousine
N/A
Armored Truck
Armor 2,
Hardened (2)
Semi-Truck
Hardened
Military Truck
Armor 4,
Hardened (2)
Military Helicoptor
Armed (Weapon:
4 guns, Weapon:
5 missiles,
Area Effect),
Hardened (2)
Fighter Jet
Armed, (Weapon:
4 guns, Weapon:
5 missiles, Area
Effect), Auto-pilot,
Hardened (2)
135
What is a Device?
Whether you want that weather manipulating weapon
for your super-villain, or that gravity controlling gun
for your hero, devices are the super-science of comic
books. Theyre weapons, armor, computers, robotic
servants, and even deathtraps all designed using
the Daring Comics powers system and the special
effects found in this section.
NPCs, Gear, and Devices

For all your GMs out there no, you
dont have to build your NPCs devices or
purchase their gear. They are the opposition
to the heroes, and get whatever they need
to provide sufficient threat and drama.
Need them to have an army of robots? Give
it to them. Need that mass mind control
device that targets citizens through their
smartphones? The mastermind has it.
Even in comic books, the villains usually
have far greater devices and weapons than
the heroes. Thats the whole story equals
obstacle need of fiction.
Devices and Character

Creation
Later in this section youll learn the rules for creating
devices after the campaign has started. Those
devices, however, are temporary items, capable of
being used for an entire issue before they become
inoperative, are lost, or are removed from play through
whatever narrative detail makes sense.
For those of you who want to have one or more
devices as a permanent part of your character, youll
make them at character creation. Theres no invention
roll to do so, you simply spend your Hero Points for
the devices costs as you would for any other power
set in the game. The difference is that the device is
a core part of your character, always with him and
always recovered at least by the end of the scene if
disarmed or shutdown.
For the most part, any device uses the same rules.
Choose the powers and any special effects or limits,
select any specific special effects from this section
136
that make sense and pay the total cost in Hero Points.
The powers then work the same as they would if part
of any other character power set, and should possess
a Power Set Aspect the same as any other power set.
Things get a little different (and sometimes dangerous)
when youre creating devices in play, as part of the
drama.
Building A Device During Play

With the Artificing and Technology skills, you can make
your own specialized devices chemical formulas,
weapons, and armors, capable of extraordinary
feats thanks to super-science or sorcery. In essence,
such devices are created as temporary power sets
(including a Power Set Aspect), just as you would
create a normal power set for your character, with a
few extra features.
Design the Device

To create a new device during the series, first
determine what powers it possess (and determine
how the powers are arranged into Power Sets with
their own Power Set Aspects). The difficulty to create
the device is equal to half the total cost of all the
devices powers (round up). Any limits refund points
as normal, and any Complications will affect the
amount of time it takes to create. The difficulty cannot
go below Average (+1).
You must also have a suitable laboratory or workshop
of a quality rating at least equal to the difficulty. If the
quality rating is lower, that means the device is going
to be a bit more difficult to construct. You just dont
have the necessary resources or tools on hand to do
it easily. The difficulty is increased by +1 for every
step on the ladder that the quality rating is lower than
the device you want to create.
Dragonfly wants to create a device that will
allow him to shrink his entire team down
to the size of a small insect all at once. He
decides it will have Shrinking 4 with an Area
Effect. It doesnt have any limits, but has a
Complication that might overload itself and
shutdown, thereby risking leaving everyone
at miniature stature.
The base cost for the device is 3 Hero Points,
two for Shrinking and one for area effect. That
means his opposition is half of that, rounded
up, or Fair (+2).
The workshop is Great (+4) quality, so he

doesnt suffer an increase to the opposition.
Theres no Resource roll necessary to create the
device. Its assumed that since you have the work
area, you also have tools and components on hand.
It might also be that youve gathered the needed
components through a series of heists (if youre
a villain), or that you have the necessary contacts,
maybe through the underworld or an organization, to
have gotten a hold of what you need.
The time to create is determined by the GM. Yeah, we
could have given you a concrete time of X-hours per
opposition rating, but to be honest the time it takes
inventors in comic books is really dependent upon
the needs of the story, and we felt allowing that in
Daring Comics was the right way to go. Once the GM
determines the base time, however, each Complication
reduces that time by 1 step on the Time Increment
table. Sometimes, creating a device that can go
horribly wrong means you can make it faster.
If you succeed, great! Youve created the device. If
you succeed with style, you get to add an aspect to
the device for free.
Like a normal Overcome action, you can succeed
at a cost.
If you tie and have to take a minor cost, you must
create a Flaw aspect something that shows a weak
point or imperfection in the design.
If you fail and decide to succeed at a major cost, the
GM creates a Complication. You dont get to know
what it is, and youll find out what its brought into play.
Dragonfly rolls his Great (+4) Technology
skill against a Fair (+2) passive opposition.
Unfortunately, hes out of fate points and really
just wants to get the device built, so he doesnt
spend an action to first create an aspect that
might assist him.
He rolls 2 on the dice, for a Fair (+2) result.
Yep. It figures.
That ties with the opposition, which means
for an Overcome action he either failed, or
can succeed at a minor cost. He decides to
succeed at a minor cost.
The GM nods and smiles.
Now the player has to create a Flaw aspect.
He decides on: The Wiring Was Rushed.
The GM accepts that as a decent flaw.

Not only does the device run the risk of
overloading and becoming inoperative (the
Complication), but it might also short out
when it comes time to return everyone to
normal and instead make them one additional
size smaller (a compel on the Flaw aspect).
And then it might also overload.
Meanwhile, the GM has decided it would
take him a few days to create the device, so
thanks to his original Complication, that time
is reduced to a single day.
The device lasts for one issue of use. Keep in mind,
its one issue of use. That means you can carry
the device for a few issues before using it, but the
moment you use it even once, it lasts until that issue
is over. When the issue concludes, it is assumed to
be lost, deconstructed, or whatever reasoning makes
sense to remove it from play.
You can only have one device in active use at a time.
Device Controlling Skill
For powers which require a Controlling skill, the device
has the skill at Mediocre (+0) unless purchased at a
greater level through device special effects.
Jury Rigging
When time is of the essence and you absolutely must
construct that device Now!, you can attempt a juryrig. Youre basically rushing the job and risking failure
in exchange for getting that emergency device built
and in the field as quickly as possible.
You build the device using the same rules as
building a device, but it takes only one minute per
final opposition. Your opposition, after it is halved, is
increased by +1 due to the rushed job. Complications
reduce the time by 1 minute each, to a minimum of 1
minute building time.
If you succeed, you get the device built. If you
succeed with style, you get to add a boost to it.
Since you are rushing the work, you cannot succeed
at a cost if you fail the roll.
Jury-Rigged devices last for a single scene of use,
though they can last longer if you spend a fate point
for each additional scene.
Dragonflys teammates have been captured
by The Anarchitect, and he needs to get in
137
there to save them. Theyve battled the supervillain many times in the past, and he knows
each of their abilities. Hell be on the lookout
for Dragonflys shrinking powers.
He needs a device to make him invisible and
allow him to pass through solid objects, and
he needs it now! He rushes to his workshop to
cobble something together on the spot.
Intangible is a 1-point power, and he doesnt
want to risk the device not working, so he
gives it basic Invisibility 1. He can bend the
light around himself, but anyone looking
closely enough is probably going to notice
something. The two powers combined have a
cost of 2 points. His opposition would have
only been Average (+1), but because it is a
jury-rig, that increases to Fair (+2).
He isnt going to apply any limits or
Complications. The workshop has Great (+4)
quality, so his opposition is not increased
further. His skill rating is Great (+4) and the
opposition is Fair (+2).
He rolls the dice and gets a 2, again!
That makes his result Fair (+2), which ties
with the opposition.
He doesnt want to take a minor cost and
create a Flaw aspect, so he spends a fate point
and invokes his Im a Whiz With Engineering
aspect for a +2 bonus, making his result Great
(+4). He succeeded, and the device is created
two minutes later.
Buying a Device During Play

Sometimes, a villain or even a hero needs to get
his hands on a particular device and doesnt have the
means of making it himself. Doing so requires two
things: finding someone who has the device to sell,
and then being able to afford it.
The opposition for finding someone with the device to
sell is equal to the opposition of the device (the total
cost of powers, halved and rounded up). However,
you roll your Contacts skill instead of your Artificing
or Technology skill. On a success, it takes roughly
one day per opposition level. On a success with style,
lower the time by two steps on the Time Increment
table to a few hours per quality level.
Kill-Joy hears rumors about a new weapon
thats been developed by a fellow super-
138
villain. Its basically the Blast power with a

unique special effect that can send the target
into an alternate dimension instead of doing
damage. It has Blast 2 with a special effect
worth 2 points, for a total cost of 4 points, or a
Fair (+2) opposition.
Kill-Joy rolls his Good (+3) Contacts skill
against Fair (+2) passive opposition. He rolls
zero on the dice, for a Good (+3) total. Thats
enough to get him a success, but he has plans
for the thing, and doesnt want to risk someone
else getting to the inventor first.
He invokes his Fear is My Greatest Weapon
aspect, narrating that his reputation and the
fact that even criminals are afraid of him gets
people answering his questions. He adds +2
to the roll, for a new total of Superb (+5) a
success with style.
The GM decides that each point of opposition
is now worth 3 hours instead of 1 day, and 6
hours later Kill-Joy finds the inventor.
Once you find a seller, you must succeed at a
Resources roll with opposition equal to the devices
opposition rating +1. If you succeed and get the
device, it lasts for a single issue.
Kill-Joy has amassed a decent amount of
money through his crimes, and rolls his
Great (+4) Resources skill against Good
(+3) opposition. He gets 1 on the dice, for a
Superb (+5) total, a success. He purchases
the weapon from the inventor, and gets to use
it against his enemies for an entire issue.
Had he failed, the GM might have allowed a
success at a major cost, and Kill-Joy would
have likely faced some sort of Complication
later on. For example, since he was unable
to purchase the weapon, perhaps he injured
(or killed) the inventor to get it, and the guys
associates will be seeking revenge.
But, Im personal friends

with an inventor!
Aspect
Your device has an additional aspect attached to it.
Okay, lets face it: usually the super-hero

community is a close-knit bunch. Oh sure,
they have their occasional throw downs when
things get too dramatic, but theyre also not
bashful about hitting up the neighboring
super-genius when the going gets tough.
Auto-Pilot
When you need to borrow a device from an

inventor friend, make a Contacts roll with
opposition equal to the normal opposition to
create the device. If you succeed, your friend
has what you need; and you can borrow it
for a single scene of use. On a success with
style, you get to borrow it for an entire issue.
Concealable
This does not mean your friendly

neighborhood inventor is your private renta-device store. The GM has every right to
simply declare an item unavailable, especially
if youre constantly pestering the poor fellow.
Common Device
Special Effects
Generally speaking, devices are constructed using the
powers system for abilities. However, the following
special effects are examples of what weve seen
in comic books, and represent things not normally
covered by the powers system. If a device special
effect would make sense, however, it can be applied
to any type of power set. Each special effect (or rank
of special effect) costs 1 Hero Point.
Artificial Intelligence
Your device is an artificial intelligence capable of
acting on its own. Each application gives the device a
specific quality rating and skill column.
Basic Intelligence: Two Average (+1) skills and
two Fair (+2) skills
Improved Intelligence: Two Average (+1) skills,
two Fair (+2) skills, and two Good (+3) Skills
Advanced Intelligence: Two Average (+1) skills,
two Fair (+2) skills, two Good (+3) Skills, and two
Great (+4) skills.
Typically applied to vehicles, it can now fly or drive

itself with Mediocre (+0) skill. This special effect
can be applied two more times, up to a maximum
Fair (+2) skill rating.
The device is either very small, or collapses to be

smaller than its normal size. When hiding the weapon,
you gain +2 to Deceit.
Database
The device is either a walking library or has remote
access to one. Each time this is applied, the device has
the two of the following skills at Average (+1) rating:
Arcanum, Artificing, Knowledge, or Technology. You
can take this multiple times, and either apply it to two
additional skills, or increase the skill bonus by +1, up
to a maximum of Fantastic (+6).
You can also apply a +2 bonus to a single skill instead
of taking a pair of skills, up to a maximum Fantastic (+6).
Expert Wiring
Typical of explosives, your Technology rolls to disarm
the weapon suffer a +2 to the opposition.
Independent Attack
The weapon is capable of attacking on its own, such
as an automated turret. The skill is Mediocre (+0)
for a single application of this special effect, and
increases by +1 for each additional application, up to
a maximum of Fantastic (+6).
Power Ability
Each time this special effect is taken, your devices
Power skill improves +1 step on the ladder from
Mediocre (+0) to a maximum of Fantastic (+6).
Restricted
The device is restricted from just anyone using
it, whether it is through a DNA scan, a mystic
enchantment for worthiness, or some other high
security means that typically cannot be overcome.
139
Unbreakable
Your device has an extra
aspect indicating that it is
near impossible to break (very
few things in comic books are
truly unbreakable). Whenever
something would break your
device, you can spend a fate
point to create the story detail
My _________ is unbreakable,
to prevent the device from being
broken. (Note: For those of you
who want to mimic a specific
Claw power from comic books,
you can also apply this special
effect to normal power sets
where it would make sense.)
Device Limits
Your device can have limits built
into it the same as any power set.
When determining final difficulty
to build the device, subtract the
cost of any Limits.
Sample Devices
Lets take a look at some sample
devices. You can plug-andplay these items during play or
character creation, use them as
inspiration to create your own, or
use them as a basis from which
to further modify your unique
invention.
Armor
Remote
Usually a special effect for explosive devices, you can
detonate the bomb from a distance. When applied
once, the range is roughly a half-mile. When applied
twice, you can remote detonate from up to a mile away.
Street Vigilante
Body Armor
Targeting
Powers: Invulnerability 2, Hardiness 2
Whether through special stabilizers, a target

scope, or some other method, the weapon
provides a +1 bonus to your Accuracy roll when
you take the time to aim.
Special Effects: None
Effect: Reinforced yet highly flexible body armor
Limits: None
Complications: None
Difficulty: Fair (+2)
140
Electrical Armor
Difficulty: Epic (+7)
Effect: Body armor that can surround itself with

electricity
Power Duplicating Android
Powers: Electricity Aura, Invulnerability 3
Effect: An android capable of duplicating the powers

of super-being it faces
Aspects: I Can Adapt to You
Limits: None
Powers: Invulnerability 4, Power Mimicry
Complications: Liquid based attacks do Weapon 2

damage
Special Effects: Advanced Artificial Intelligence,

Aspect (1), Multi-mimic, Ranged mimic
Difficulty: Good (+3)
Limits: Cannot mimic technology based powers
Fire Generating Armor
Complications: Limited thinking ability, Sonic attacks

do +2 damage
Effect: Body armor with a built in Flame Blast

Powers: Flame Blast 3, Invulnerability 3
Special Effects: Deadly
Limits: None
Complications: Liquid based attacks do Weapon
2 damage
Difficulty: Superb (+5)
Vehicles
Vigilantes Car
Effect: Armored car for prowling the streets
Difficulty: Great (+4)
Powers: Invulnerability 3, Super-Speed 2
Robots
Special Effects: Auto-pilot, Database

Limits: None
Family Assistant
Complications: Must refuel every 6 hours
Effect: Robot designed for home maintenance
Powers: Flight 1, Super-Strength 1
Disappearing Jet
Special Effects: Basic Artificial Intelligence, Database
Effect: Jet that can turn invisible
Limits: None
Powers: Flight 4, Invisibility 3, Invulnerability 3
Complications: None
Special Effects: Auto-Pilot
Limits: None
Cape-Killer Robot
Complications: None
Effect: A 20 tall robot designed to hunt down superbeings
Difficulty: Fantastic (+6)
Powers: Density 1, Growth 1, Invulnerability 4, Energy

Blast 3, Flight 3
Team Aircraft
Effect: Aircraft designed to carry a super-team
Special Effects: Basic Artificial Intelligence, Aspect (1)
Powers: Flight 4, Blast 4
Limits: None
Special Effects: Auto-Pilot, Database, Hardiness 2
Complications: Must recharge every 12 hours
Limits: None
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Complications: Requires two people to pilot

Difficulty: Fantastic (+6)
Weapons
Fear Gas
is that you use the Artificing skill instead of

Knowledge or Technology.
Sample Artifacts
Ring of Eldritch Shielding
Effect: Causes hallucinations and intense fear
Effect: A mystic ring from ancient Babylon capable of

creating an eldritch forcefield
Aspects: Face Your Worse Fears
Powers: Forcefield 4
Powers: Emotion Control, Illusion
Special Effects: Aspect (1), Gaseous, Power skill

Great (+4)
Limits: None
Limits: Both powers limited to Fear based emotions

and illusions only (2), only victim can see the illusion.
Complications: None
Difficulty: Fair (+2)
Complications: None
Orb of All-Seeing
Effect: An orb worn on a chain around the neck,

which allows the user to astral travel to distant places
and see things far away.
Mind Control Ray

Effect: A beam designed to enthrall the target
Powers: Astral Projection, ESP
Powers: Mind Control
Special Effects: Magic Great (+4)
Special Effects: Area Effect, Power skill Great (+4)
Limits: None
Limits: Must first hit the target with an Accuracy

attack
Complications: Causes the user 2-Stress at

random times
Complications: None
Cloak of Demonic Hide
Ice Gun
Effect: Ray gun capable of freezing people and entire
areas
Effect: A cloak of demonic skin capable of resisting

most firearms, and of granting the wearer flight.
Powers: Flight 2, Invulnerability 3
Powers: Ice Blast 3, Cold Control
Special Effects: Confining, Power skill (Fair +2)
Limits: None
Limits: None
Complications: None
Complications: Overload: Shutdown for the scene
Arcane Rituals
Arcane Artifacts
Arcane artifacts are created using the same
rules as for creating devices. The only difference
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Creating arcane rituals uses the same mechanics

as creating devices and artifacts, with a couple of
minor differences. You decide which powers the
ritual will duplicate and halve the cost (round up)
to determine your opposition. However, because
rituals are typically cast to effect remote targets, you

add +1 to the opposition after you halve it. You then
roll your Arcanum skill.
Sample Rituals
Like with devices, the actual time to case the ritual is

determined by the GM, and represents not only the
actual casting, but also drawing the circle, invoking
the correct powers, reading from the necessary
ancient texts, and so forth.
Tentacles of the
Darkened Mind
The main difference, however, is that if you fail to cast

the ritual by one or two Shifts, you take Stress equal to
the number of Shifts you failed the roll by. If you failed
by three or more Shifts, you take the Stress and the
GM is going to create a very bad effect on you or the
game world in the form of a new aspect. For example,
maybe that demon you were summoning is not only
loose and beyond your ability to control, but its now
a Named NPC. In that case, the GM might create an
aspect such as: Primal Demon on the Loose!
Powers: Emotion Control, Mind Control
The rituals effect lasts a length of time that makes

sense. For example, a ritual meant to curse your
enemy with the Affliction power might last until it
is overcome, the same as with the normal power.
Meanwhile, a summoned demon might last until the
end of the issue, until another sorcerer somehow
counters the spell with a ritual of his own, or maybe
even longer if the demon must be Taken Out to get it
off the earthly plane.
In the case of minion powers, such as Animal Control,
Animate, Duplication, and Summon, determine the
opposition for the number and quality of minions the
ritual is creating, and add that to the opposition for
invoking the power itself when casting the ritual. So, if
you used the Summon power (5-point cost) to create
a Good (+3) quality demonic minion, that means
your cost is Legendary (+8), halved to a Great (+4)
opposition. With the +1 modifier for being a ritual, it
has a final Superb (+5) opposition.
Thats right, summoning that demon lord from the
Hell dimension is a dangerous proposition.
Unlike the normal use of powers, casting spells during
a ritual does not require the use of a Controlling skill
to fuel powers that require it. Instead, you use your
Arcanum skill during the actual casting.
Effect: A ritual capable of causing the average citizen

to commit extreme acts of violence
Special Effects: Area Effect
Limits: Emotion Control limited to anger only, Mind
Control limited to acts of violence
Complications: None
Breath of the Rotting Lord

Effect: Creates an Affliction of rotting flesh on the target
Powers: Affliction
Special Effects: Area Effect
Limits: None
Complications: None
Servant of the
Rending Master
Effect: Summons a powerful demon
Powers: Summon (Good quality demon)
Limits: None
Complications: None
Difficulty: Superb (+5)
Headquarters
By taking the Headquarters stunt, you received a
number of points to use for building your secret lair,
whether a personal lair or a team base of operations.
The sections below give you the means to spend
those points, choosing the headquarters quality,
facilities, and defenses.
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Headquarters Aspect
Your headquarters starts with one aspect for
free, which should represent the size and scope
of your base. Some suitable aspects would be:
Outfitted Cave, Skyscraper Upper Levels,
Stately Mansion, Hidden Apartment Rooms, or
even Nondescript Brownstone.
Headquarters Quality
Next, purchase the Quality of your base. The bases
quality determines the Quality of any automated
defenses you might have, as well as the Quality
Rating of any laboratories, workshops, and libraries
the base contains.
Your base begins at Mediocre (+0) quality, and every
point you spend increases the quality +1 step on the
ladder to a maximum Fantastic (+6) quality. Yes, the
quality can be raised above Fantastic (+6), but only
when the skill cap for the series is increased. Chapter
15: Advancing the Series explains when a series skill
cap is increased.
Headquarters Features
Finally, with any points you have remaining after
purchasing the Quality Rating, you can purchase
any of the following features for your headquarters.
Each feature (or level of a feature) costs 1
Headquarters Point.
Artificial Intelligence: Your headquarters is an
artificial intelligence capable of acting on its own.
Each level gives the device a specific quality rating
and skill column.
Basic Intelligence: Two Average (+1) skills and
two Fair (+2) skills
Improved Intelligence: Two Average (+1) skills,
two Fair (+2) skills, and two Good (+3) Skills
Advanced Intelligence: Two Average (+1) skills,
two Fair (+2) skills, two Good (+3) Skills, and two
Great (+4) skills.
Aspect: Each time this feature is taken, your base
gains an additional aspect.
Command Center: A central room to monitor
happenings around the city or planet, each time this
feature is purchased your base receives a rating in a
new skill called Communications, which begins at
Average (+1) for the first application of this feature,
and can go to Fantastic (+6).
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Communications cannot attack or Defend (unless

posing as active opposition to an Overcome action,
such as a hacking attempt against the base), and is
used for being able to hack into and monitor a widearray of bands, ranging from local law enforcement
to encrypted government channels. The GM sets the
opposition for monitoring attempts.
Database: Your base has an extensive database
covering one or more areas of knowledge. Each
time this is applied, the device has two of the
following skills at Average (+1) rating: Arcanum,
Artificing, Knowledge, or Technology. You can
take this multiple times, and either apply it to two
additional skills, or increase the skill bonus by +1,
up to a maximum of Fantastic (+6).
You can also apply a +2 bonus to a single skill instead
of taking a pair of skills, up to a maximum Fantastic (+6).
Defense Systems: Your base is equipped with one or
more defense systems. The systems have a skill rating
and damage rating equal to the quality of the base.
Dock/Garage/Hangar: The base contains a place to
repair vehicles, equal to the headquarters quality rating.
Dimensional Pocket: Your base occupies a
dimensional pocket, making it much large (or smaller)
on the inside than it appears from the outside.
Dimensional Portal: The headquarters contains a
portal to a particular dimension, chosen when this
feature is purchased. Additional dimensions require
this feature to be taken more than once.
Dimensional Travel: Your headquarters is not
stationary, and travels through the dimensions as
easily as flying through the air.
Infirmary: The base is equipped with a place to
treat injuries. Whenever rolling to Overcome physical
consequences, apply half the base quality (round up)
as a bonus to the roll.
Laboratory: Your headquarters has a laboratory so
you can use Knowledge to create devices (see: the
Mad Scientist stunt under Knowledge).
Library: The headquarters contains a library, either
print or digital, which allows you to conduct research
and grants a +2 bonus to relevant rolls.
Living Quarters: The base has enough sleeping
quarters for each core member of the team. If purchased
twice, it can house up to 6 additional guests.
Movement: The headquarters is capable of either

ground movement or flight under its own power. Each
time this feature is taken, the HQ gains one power
level in either Super-Speed or Flight.
Personnel: Your base has some sort of living or
robot attendants that deal with general maintenance,
security, or possibly help in the laboratory or
workshop. Each time this feature is purchased,
you either gain three Average (+1) quality nameless
NPCs, two Fair (+2) nameless NPCs, or one Good
(+3) quality nameless NPC.
Power Supply: The headquarters has an independent
power supply that keeps things operating and online
in the case of an area-wide blackout.
Secure Access: Access to the base is highly restricted
and limited, requiring the use of a hard to get item,
such as a team identification card, DNA recognition,
or some other method designed when you purchase
this feature. Attempting to bypass the security
requires an action against Good (+4) opposition.
Security Cells: The base is equipped with four
Legendary (+8) Material Strength holding cells.
Additional applications of this feature increase the
number of holding cells by four, or increases the
Material Strength by +1.
Self-Repairing: Whether through advanced nanites,
dimensional energies, or because it is a living entity,
the headquarters heals from damage as though it had
the Regeneration power.
Teleportals: The base contains teleportation technology,
capable of teleporting people anywhere on the planet.
If purchased twice, it can teleport roughly the distance
from earth to the moon. If purchased three times, it can
teleport across the universe.
Temporal Anomaly: The headquarters exists outside
of the normal space-time continuum. Time either
flows faster or slower within the base than on Earth
(decide when the feature is purchased). Each time
this feature is taken, the time needed to complete
tasks within the base is either reduced two steps on
the Time Increment table (for a faster time flow), or
increased by two steps on the table.
Training Room: The base is equipped with a combat
simulator, typically of some sort of advanced high
technology, or even holographic environment. When
using the training room to practice taking on particular
situations or villains as it pertains to the current
session, every participating member receives a +2
bonus to Create an Advantage actions during the next
scene (and only the next scene) in which they confront

the villain or situation. Basically, it means your team is
preparing for a conflict they know is about to happen,
this doesnt allow you to prepare for just any type of
situation and get the bonus. The GM has final say on
whether or not your team is actually practicing for a
dramatic encounter, or simply attempting to abuse the
bonus to Create an Advantage actions. If the latter, you
dont get the bonus.
Unique Ability: Your base has some sort of ability not
otherwise covered in the features list. Typically, this
will be a power with a cost in Headquarters Points
equal to the total cost of the power. It could also be
a special feature created by you and the GM, such
as a flying aircraft carrier having a few fighter jets as
Nameless NPCs.
Workshop: Your base has a workshop for creating
devices with the Technology skill.
Special Storage: Story

Factor Devices
Sometimes in comic books, a heros secret base will
also have a device that plays a part in the story, but
does so in a very limited scope and then disappears
from future use. Once per mini-arc, your hero can
have a story device, such as Warsuit or Submersible,
by spending a fate point. The item lasts for one issue
of use, at which time it is considered to be destroyed
or back in storage.
Sample Headquarters
Below are five different types of headquarters, each
one representing a specific type of base seen in
comic books at one time or another.
Vigilante Base
Aspects: Hidden Urban Bunker
Quality: Fair (+2)
Features: Command
Workshop
Center,
Secured
Access,
Cost: 5
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concrete bunker, Daring Comics uses a Material

Strength ladder as shown below. The Material
Strength acts as the passive opposition to rolls to
break through the object.
Mystic Brownstone
Aspects: Sanctum of Power
Material
Strength
Example
Mediocre (+0)
Paper
Average (+1)
Glass
Fair (+2)
Wood, Aluminum
Good (+3)
Brick
Great (+4)
Concrete
Superb (+5)
Stone
Fantastic (+6)
Reinforced Concrete
Epic (+7)
Iron
Cost: 15
Legendary (+8)
Steel
Orbital Station
Monstrous (+9)
Reinforced Steel
Aspects: Monitoring the Earth from Above
Colossal (+10)
Super-Alloys
Quality: Fantastic (+6)
Unearthly (+11)
Diamond
inconveivable (+12)
Magical or Unique Metal
Quality: Great (+4)

Features: Defense System (mystic
Dimensional Pocket, Library, Living
Personnel (one Good Quality), Workshop
themed),
Quarters,
Cost: 10
Mansion
Aspects: High-end team headquarters
Quality: Superb (+5)
Features: Command Center, Defense Systems,
Dock/Hangar/Garage, Infirmary, Laboratory, Library,
Living Quarters, Personnel (one Good Quality), Power
Supply, Workshop
Features: Command Center, Dock/Hangar/Garage,

Infirmary, Laboratory, Library, Living Quarters, (2),
Power Supply, Secure Access, Security Cells,
Teleportals (2), Training Room, Workshop
Cost: 20
Trans-Dimensional Ship
Aspects: Living Alien Vessel
Quality: Fantastic (+6)
Features: Artificial Intelligence, Command Center,
Dimensional pocket, Dimensional Travel, Flight 3,
Infirmary, Laboratory, Library, Living Quarters, (4),
Personnel (six Average (+1) quality staff), Power
Supply, Secure Access, Security Cells, Teleportals
(3), Training Room, Workshop
Cost: 30
Object Material Strength

When it comes down to how hard or tough a
particular object is, such as bank vault or a
146
To break through objects, roll based on the type of

action youre using. If you are physically trying to break
the object, make a Physique roll (including any SuperStrength bonuses). If you are attempting to blast
through the object, then roll Accuracy. The passive
opposition is equal to the material strength of the
object. The material strength is reduced by 1 for each
Shift you get on the roll. Once the material strength is
reduced to zero, the object is either destroyed or has
a hole large enough to pass through.
Unlike a normal Overcome action, the character
cannot succeed at a cost or on a tie, at least 1-Shift
must be generated. If it makes sense with the action,
then Weapon Rating adds to the Shifts.
Special Considerations
There are a few comic book staples that should really
be covered in a chapter dedicated to gear and superscience inventions. They require slightly modified
rules to maintain their feel and effectiveness in play,
have any super-powers,

nor does he rely on superscience devices. Instead,
he relies upon his military
special forces training
and a lot of guns, knives,
and grenades.
And hes gone toe-to-toe
with some powerful enemies.
Its important in the Daring
Comics Roleplaying Game
that such characters not be
inferior to those wielding
a few super-powers or
carrying
around
more
super-science
oriented
tech. Comics have shown
that gear heavy vigilante
is as much of a threat as
any other comparable hero
or villain, and sometimes
even more so.
Creating
the Gear
and to mimic whats seen in comic books as closely

as game rules will allow.
They are: the Gear Heavy Street Vigilante, PowerArmor, Trick Arrows, and the world-famous Utility Belt.
The Gear Heavy

Street Vigilante
For the most part in comic books, your average gear
heavy character is going to be the street vigilante. Of
course, that isnt always the case, but as we all know,
one of the most popular vigilantes (whether hes a
hero or not is open to your interpretation), doesnt
The gear used by such a

character is a part of who
and what they are, what
they do, and how they do
it. Sometimes, a simple
handgun in their hands is
seemingly more powerful
than the one used by the
thug they were just staring
down and have since
left for dead. Even superpowered foes often times
bite off more than they can chew against the character.
When creating your gear heavy street vigilante for his
one-man war on the criminal underworld, create the
gear as a single Power Set.
Give the power set a name (usually something like
Arsenal, or Heavy Arsenal) and a power set aspect.
Then, build your weapons.
Because your power set must not only have a
Complication, but can also be disarmed, you get a
reduction to the cost of your gear: each weapon or
armor has its cost reduced by 50%, rounded-up.
147
Vengeance is a vigilante known for her guns

and knives. When creating the character, the
player names the power set Heavy Arsenal
and gives it the Theres No Criminal my
Weapons Dont Like aspect.
Next, she starts building her weapons.
First she decides to give Vengeance a hardhitting pistol. She takes Blast 3 (physical
projectile). Normally this would cost her for 4
hero points, but thanks to the cost reduction,
it only costs her 2 hero points.
Next she makes an automatic rifle. She again
takes Blast 3 (physical projectile), and this
time adds in Area Effect and full-auto special
effects. Normally 5 hero points, she instead
pays 3 hero points
For a third weapon, she creates a specialized
knife. She gives it Melee Attack 2 (weapon),
and the Follow-Up special effect. The knife
costs her 2 hero points instead of 3 hero points.
Disarming the Gear

Despite being a power set, each weapon in the set is
assumed to be a physical weapon and is susceptible
to Disarmed the same as any other weapon.
Another Gear
Heavy Option
Dont forget that if the cost of making your
gear heavy vigilante gets to be too high, you
can also forego making everything as part
of your power set and also use the Arsenal
stunt to supplement your hero. It means that
any gear thats shut down or lost takes longer
to recover, but its a good way to round out
the character until you get more Milestones
under your belt.
Trick Arrows
Next, she creates a grenade with Blast 4

(physical projectile), and the Area Effect special
effect. She also gives it a limit: Reduced Range.
Thats 5 hero points, reduced to 3 hero points.
Playing a character whose powers derive purely from a

quiver of trick arrows is another special consideration.
Finally, she creates a Flash Bang grenade.

She gives it Blast 3 (sonic), along with Area
Effect and reduced Range, for 3 hero points
instead of five.
First, create the power set just as you would any other
type of power set. Give it an aspect, and purchase
your powers. The difference is that when it comes to
the Blast power, you do not have to purchase each
type of Blast as a separate power. Simply purchase
the power once if all of your arrows will have the same
Weapon Rating, and then purchase all the special
effects that apply.
Finally, she decides to wear an experimental

Kevlar costume, and purchases Invulnerability
3. Its cost is reduced to 2 hero points.
Vengeance paid 15 hero points for her
power set.
Gear Complications
Each weapon in your Gear Power Set is understood
to have a Complication that the GM can compel to
somehow shut it down. Unlike a normal power, the
weapon or armor is shut down until it makes narrative
sense that youve somehow accounted for it, such
as getting extra ammo clips, taking time to repair the
jam, or even returning to your armory for a new copy
of the weapon.
The minimum time before you can get the weapon
back is one scene, but if all else fails, it is always
recovered by the end of the issue.
148
Constructing the Quiver
Snap-Fire is a trick arrow gal. As part of her

arsenal, she decides shell have a series of
arrows based on the Blast power. She also
decides that all of her arrows will have the
same Weapon Rating 3.
She purchases Blast 3 for 3 Hero Points.
To represent the various effects the
quiver can produce, she then purchases
the following Special Effects (the cost is
in parenthesis): concussive (2), corrosive
(2), electrical (2), entangling (1), physical
projectile (1), and sonic (2).
Snap-Fires total cost for the Trick Arrow
power set is 13 Hero Points.
Likewise, if some of your arrows will have a different

Blast power Weapon Rating, or even a non-blast related
power, you must purchase those powers separately.
Snap-Fire has a habit of being attacked by a
villain whos basically a living flame. She has an
arrow in her quiver that is capable of nullifying
all Fire type powers at once. The arrow is
covered by purchasing the Power Nullify (Type
Nullification: Fire).
Snap-Fire purchases the Ranged Nullify
special effect for an extra 1 point, but she
and the GM determine that shell still need
to make an Accuracy roll since shes firing a
physical arrow. They decide to treat that roll as
a limit (since normally a Ranged Nullify doesnt
require an Accuracy roll), and lower the cost
by a point, effectively making the special effect
a zero cost.
Snap-Fire spends 2 Hero Points and purchases
the power.
Using Device Special

Effects
As explained earlier in this chapter, sometimes a
special effect usually reserved for a device can
be applied to a normal power set if it would make
sense. In the case of some Trick Arrow power sets,
it most definitely would.
For example, if one or more arrows use a power that
requires its own controlling skill (such as the Power
skill), it rolls at Mediocre (+0) unless you purchase it at
a higher rating through device special effects.
Likewise, perhaps the archers bow is special
designed to read the exact palm and finger prints of
the person using it. This would be represented by the
Restricted device special effect.
Required Complication
Finally, a Trick Arrow power set, by its very nature,
must have at least one Complication that can be
compelled to represent the power set somehow being
shut down. The most common way is a Complication
representing a limited number of arrows or the bow
string mysteriously snapping.
Disarming the Archer

An archer can be Disarmed in combat, though
whether or not another person could use their bow
would all depend on whether or not the power set

had the Restricted special effect or not.
Trick Archer versus

Gear Heavy Vigilante
The astute person will quickly notice that the
trick archer gets one heck of a cost discount
versus the street heavy vigilante. Thats
absolutely true, and its by design.
When a gear heavy vigilante has a weapon
shut down through a Complication or they
get Disarmed, they typically have one or
more weapons still readily available. Losing
the weapon might slow them down for a
moment, but theyre usually back in the
fight fairly quickly.
By comparison, then a trick archer has their
power shut down through a Complication,
or get Disarmed, well . . . to be a bit frank,
theyre probably a lot more screwed. Shutting
down or disarming a trick archer typically
takes away their entire power set since it
happened to either the bow or the quiver.
They cant use any of their powers until the
power set is someone recovered.
Now, if that doesnt sit well with your group,
dont sweat it. Just build the Trick Arrow type
of character the same way you would a gear
heavy vigilante, with each arrow being shut
down as an individual weapon.
Utility Belt
Particularly in a street level series, a utility belt can
be a real boon in certain situations. In comic books,
it allows the hero to carry along a wide-array of small
items which can provide a decisive advantage when
confronting certain types of obstacles. The hero has
an advanced lock-picking set to get past the security
door, or a small torch capable of cutting a hole in the
glass so he can reach in and disarm the window alarm.
Sometimes, the hero has the smoke pellets he needs
to confound his enemies and make a quick escape.
A utility belt costs 1 Hero Point to purchase, and
you need not define the contents. Once per issue,
when a situation arises where your utility belt would
be able to help you, you can declare possessing
an item that would allow you to automatically get
149
past the obstacle, perhaps by having just the right

tools to get past a lock, or releasing gas pellets to
incapacitate the guards.
Once the item is used, it is gone from the scene.
If you need another item from your belt (or the same
item again), you must spend a fate point and use the
Create an Advantage action to create a gear aspect
representing the item. Your utility belt grants you a +2
to bonus to creating the aspect, and your skill for doing
so is Mediocre (+0), which cannot be increased through
special effects. This means your subsequent uses of
the utility belt in the same issue will get you an aspect to
invoke for a bonus to the relevant skill roll, but no longer
nets you an automatic overcome success.
The gear aspect must make sense, and must be
something your character can believably have in his
belt. It also must be some sort of normal item, and
not a super-science device. So, a small cutting torch,
some handcuffs, smoke pellets, a miniature camera,
aqua-breather, an entangling boomerang those
types of items can be expected. The GM has final
veto power on any particular gear aspect.
Once created, the aspect lasts until its free invocations
have been used, at which time the item is considered
to have served its purpose. While in play, however, the
gear aspect can be compelled like any other aspect.
Utility belt doesnt receive any Stress Boxes.
However, it can be targeted with things like a Disarm
aspect from the Create an Advantage action, which is
already factored into the 1-point cost.
For utility belts with more advanced and unique
items, build it as a full power set, instead. Use the
Trick Arrow section for guidelines on how to also
build a utility belt.
Power-Armor
Power-armor works just like any other power set as far
as having the powers that make it go. You purchase
the powers with any special effects and Limitations,
add them to your character sheet, give the power set
an aspect, and game-on!
Power-Armor is considered a power set, not a device
(its talked about here because most people are going
to look for Power-Armor stuff in the device sections).
This is an important distinction to note, because
unlike item and devices, Power-Armor does not get
2-Stress boxes for free. But thats okay, because it
cant be targeted directly like a device, despite the
150
narrative visual a power suit might give.

That means that unless you purchase some levels
in the Hardiness power, any damage sustained even
while youre in the suit goes directly against the Stress
and Consequences of your character. So, heed our
advice that is probably a good idea to purchase some
levels in Hardiness. Its also probably a good idea to
consider a few levels in Invulnerability as well.
Power-Armor Hardiness
If you decide to take our advice, here are some special
considerations when looking at Hardiness as part of
a Power-Armor set, as opposed to the power being
directly possessed by the character.
Unlike a character with Hardiness built into them,
where they directly get the extra Stress boxes
and consequence slots as part of their regular
character, power-armor assumes its extra Stress
and consequence tracks separately from the main
character. In other words, your hero has his own
Stress boxes and consequence slots, and the boxes
and slots awarded by Hardiness are tracked entirely
under the power-armor set.
When the hero is in the armor and takes physical
damage, the damage should first come off the Stress
and consequence slots provided by the armor.
Additionally, Power-Armor consequences do not heal
as normal, but require the Resources (i.e. a lab or
workshop at the appropriate level) and Technology
skill level to repair them. So, unless your hero is a
technological genius and slightly rich, his reliance
on an outside organization or entity would be shown
in a character aspect. If the armor is Taken Out,
the character can still be active, but all of the suits
powers are inaccessible.
A suit of power-armor has Hardiness 4, granting
it two Stress boxes, one Mild Consequence
slot, and one Moderate Consequence slot. The
hero takes a 2-stress hit and fills in his Armors
2-Stress box. The next attack is for 4-hits, and
he fills in the armors Moderate Consequence
slot. He now only has a Mild Consequence
slot left. If he takes more than 3-Hits, hes
gone beyond the suits damage absorption
capabilities. At that point, hed either have to
shut down the armor (its Taken Out), or start
taking the damage to his personal Stress and
Consequences to keep the suit in operation.
Of course, the hero can choose to avoid the armor
taking the damage at any time and apply it directly to
his own tracks. Yeah, it would keep him in the fight

a little longer, but hes going to be hurting later. This
mimics the instances where the character inside the
armor was nearly killed during the battle, but the suit
was still operational.
In the end, the boon for the armored hero is that if his
armor had a consequence, he could simply remove
the suit and no longer be affected by the consequence
unless he put it back on before repairing it.
The downside to that is the fact that by removing the
suit, hes also losing access to all powers contained
within that power set.
Power Armor and

Healing Damage
Unless the power armor can regenerate,
consequences taken by the armor do not heal
normally; they must be repaired. Doing so requires
a facility with a quality rating at least equal to the
severity of the consequence. The opposition is also
equal to the consequences severity, and increases
by +1 for each rating the facility quality rating is below
the opposition. It takes one hour per opposition rating
to repair the armor. In other words, repairing a Severe
Consequence would take 6 hours.
Theres another trade-off as well. Even though the

Power-Armor gives him an overall total of 4 Stress
Boxes (the two normal Stress boxes for the character
plus two from the Hardiness power for the PowerArmor), he doesnt have the same benefit as a
character with the power and 4 character stress
boxes. That type of hero can take a 4-hit attack and
use one Stress box to absorb it. Meanwhile, the four
Stress boxes total that a power-armored hero has
thanks to the Hardiness 4 example are split: his
normal two Stress boxes, and the armors two Stress
boxes from the power, and the two types do not add
together meaning he has a 1-Stress and 2-Stress
box on his character, and a 1-Stress and 2-Stress box
on the armor. In other words, he is unable to absorb
a single 4-Hit attack with Stress. But, as was stated,
when he takes consequences on the Power-Armor,
he has the advantage of not being hindered by them
simply by removing the armor.
Power Armor and SuperTough Characters
The power-armor rules can also be applied to things

like unique body armor.
Taking one or more power-armor

Complications is completely optional.
We already know that Invulnerability levels do not

stack the character uses the highest rating. But
what happens when your character with Hardiness
is put into power armor with its own Stress track
and consequence slots?
Characters wearing armor with Hardiness, even
those who have the power on their own, still benefit
from the extra Stress boxes and consequence slots
from the armor.
And you thought those guys wearing armor in the
comics were just cool window dressing.
Power-Armor
Complications
themed
For example, you could simply use Resources or

Contacts to get Armor 3 for your street vigilante,
or you could invest in a power set that includes:
Invulnerability 3 and Hardiness 3 (body armor),
which would give you 2 Stress boxes plus 1 Mild
Consequence slot for the armor, plus negate 3 points
of damage and also allow any additional Special
Effects to be purchased.
Likewise, you could simply give the armor
Hardiness 3. It isnt invulnerable to damage and,
by the powers narrative, each time it absorbs
damage it gets damaged itself.
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Chapter 11: Actions And Outcomes

Its Time For Action!
You roll the dice when theres some kind of interesting
opposition keeping you from achieving your goals. If
theres no interesting opposition, you just accomplish
whatever you say youre trying to do.
Whenever you take action, theres a good chance
that something or someone is going to be in your
way. It wouldnt be an interesting
story if the bad guy just rolled
over and handed you victory on a
plate clearly, hes got some crazy
security measures to keep you out
of his place. Or the masterminds
island is already blowing up around
you. Or the anti-supers protesters
are filling the streets around your
headquarters. Or someones been
bribing the informants to keep
quiet.
Thats when its time to take out
the dice.
Choose the characters skill that
is appropriate to the action.
Roll four Fate dice.
Add together the symbols
showing on the dice. A + is +1,
a - is 1, and a 0 is 0.
Add your skill rating to the dice
roll. The total is your result on
the ladder.
If you invoke an aspect, add +2
to your result or reroll the dice.
Midnight Avenger needs to
sneak past some security
guards to get into the home
of a crime boss in the Terenza
crime family. Mike says itll
be an Overcome action
against Average (+1) passive
opposition, since the guards
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are just Nameless NPCs and not worth a

conflict for something like this.
Dylan rolls his Stealth skill, which is rated at
Great (+4). He gets a 2 on the dice, for a total of
2, which corresponds to Fair (+2) on the ladder
Opposition
As we said in Chapter 1: The Basics, whenever
you roll the dice, youre comparing your roll to your
opposition. Opposition is either active, meaning its

another person rolling dice against you, or passive,
meaning that its just a set rating on the ladder
which represents the influence of the environment or
situation youre in. GMs, its your job to decide what
the most reasonable source of opposition is.
The Four Outcomes

When you roll the dice, either youre going to fail, tie,
succeed, or succeed with style.
Mike decides to roll active opposition against

Dylan on behalf of the guards. She decides the
most appropriate opposing skill is Notice
theyre trying to watch for people sneaking
onto the property, after all.
Every roll you make in a Daring Comics game results

in one of four outcomes, generally speaking. The
specifics may change a little depending on what kind
of action youre taking, but all the game actions fit
this general pattern.
The guards are Nameless NPCs, so he gives

them Average (+1) in Notice. He rolls and gets
+2 on the dice, for a total of Good (+3). The roll
for the guards beat Dylan by +1.
Fail
For The Gm: Active

Or Passive?
If a PC or a named NPC can reasonably
interfere with whatever the action is, then
you should give them the opportunity to
roll active opposition. This does not count
as an action for the opposing character; its
just a basic property of resolving actions.
In other words, a player doesnt have to do
anything special to earn the right to actively
oppose an action, as long as the character
is present and can interfere. If theres any
doubt, having an appropriate situation
aspect helps justify why a character gets to
actively oppose someone else.
If there is no character in the way, then look
at your situation aspects in this scene to see
if any of them justify some sort of obstacle, or
consider the circumstances (like rough terrain,
a complex lock, time running out, a situational
complication, et cetera.). If something sounds
interesting, choose passive opposition and
set a rating on the ladder.
If you roll lower than your opposition, you fail.

This means one of several things: you dont get what
you want, you get what you want at a serious cost, or
you suffer some negative mechanical consequence.
Sometimes, it means more than one of those. Its the
GMs job to determine an appropriate cost.
Tie
If you roll the same as your opposition, you tie.
This means you get what you want, but at a minor
cost, or you get a lesser version of what you wanted.
Succeed
If you roll higher than your opposition by 1 or 2
shifts, you succeed.
This means you get what you want at no cost.
Succeed with Style

If you roll higher than your opposition by 3 or more
shifts, you succeed with style.
This means that you get what you want, but you also
get an added benefit on top of that.
Sometimes youre going to run into edge

cases, where something inanimate seems
like it should provide active opposition
(like an automated gun) or an NPC cant
provide proactive resistance (like if theyre
unaware of what the PC is doing). Follow
your gut and use the type of opposition
that fits the circumstances or makes the
scene more interesting.
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For The Gm: How Hard Should Skill Rolls Be?

For active opposition, you dont really need to worry about how hard the roll isjust use the NPCs
skill level and roll the dice like the players do, letting the chips fall where they may. We have guidelines
about NPC skill levels in Running the Game.
For passive opposition, you have to decide what rank on the ladder the player has to beat. Its more
an art than a science, but we have some guidelines to help you.
Anything thats two or more steps higher than the PCs skill level (Fair (+2) skill and Great (+4)
opposition, for example) means that the player will probably fail or need to invoke aspects to succeed.
Anything thats two or more steps lower than the PCs skill level (Fair (+2) skill and Mediocre (+0)
opposition, for example) means that the player will probably not need to invoke aspects and have a
good chance of succeeding with style.
Between that range, theres a roughly equal chance that theyll tie or succeed, and a roughly equal
chance that they will or wont need to invoke aspects to do so.
Therefore, low difficulties are best when you want to give the PCs a chance to show off and be
awesome, difficulties near their skill levels are best when you want to provide tension but not
overwhelm them, and high difficulties are best when you want to emphasize how dire or unusual the
circumstances are and make them pull out all the stops.
Finally, a couple of quick axioms:
Average is called Average for a reason. If nothing about the opposition sticks out, then the difficulty
doesnt need more than a +1.
If you can think of at least one reason why the opposition sticks out, but otherwise just cant decide
what the difficulty should be, pick Fair (+2). Its in the middle of a PCs range of skills, so it provides a
decent challenge for every skill level except Great (+4), and you want to give PCs a chance to show
off their peak skill anyway.
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For The Gm: Serious

Cost Vs. Minor Cost
When youre thinking about costs, think
both about the story in play and the game
mechanics to help you figure out what would
be most appropriate.
A serious cost should make the current
situation worse somehow, either by creating a
new problem or exacerbating an existing one.
Bring in another source of opposition in this
scene or the next one (such as a new opposing
NPC or an obstacle to overcome), or ask the
player to take a consequence at their lowest
free level, or give someone who opposes the
PC an advantage with a free invocation.
A minor cost should add a story detail
thats problematic or bad for the PC, but
doesnt necessarily endanger progress. You
could also ask the PC to take stress or give
someone who opposes the PCs a boost.
Its okay if the minor cost is mainly a
narrative detail, showing how the PC just
barely scratched by. We give more advice
about dealing with costs on in Chapter 13:
Running the Game.
The Four Actions

When you make a skill roll, youre taking one of
four actions: overcome, create an advantage,
attack, or defend.
There are four types of actions you can take in a game
of Daring Comics. When you make a skill roll, you have
to decide which of these youre going to try. The skill
descriptions tell you which actions are appropriate for
that skill and under which circumstances. Usually, the
action you need to take will be pretty obvious from the
skill description, your intent, and the situation in play,
but sometimes you might have to talk it over with the
group to find out which is the most appropriate.
Overcome
Use the overcome action to achieve assorted goals
appropriate to your skill.
Every skill has a certain niche of miscellaneous
endeavors that fall under its purview, certain situations
where its an ideal choice. A character with Thief tries
to jimmy a window, a character with Empathy tries
to calm the crowd, and a character with Technology
tries to fix a broken thruster on his Power-Armor.
When your characters in one of these situations and
theres something between her and her goals, you use
the overcome action to deal with it. Look at it as the
catch-all action for every skill. If it doesnt fall into
any other category, its probably an overcome action.
The opposition you have to beat might be active or
passive, depending on the situation.
When you fail an overcome action, you have two
options. You can simply fail, which means you
dont attain your goal or get what you were after,
or you can succeed at a serious cost.
When you tie an overcome action, you attain
your goal or get what you were after, but at a
minor cost.
When you succeed at an overcome action, you
attain your goal without any cost.
When you succeed with style at an overcome
action, you get a boost in addition to
attaining your goal.
Midnight Avenger is in the home office of a
powerful crime boss in the Terenza crime
family. After some searching, he discovers a
hidden safe and wants to get inside.
Mike declares the action will be an Overcome
against a Great (+3) opposition. Dylan rolls
the dice and gets a total of +3. Looking at his
sheet, he adds in Midnight Avengers Fair (+2)
in Thief, for a total of Superb (+5).
The four actions are: overcome, create advantage,

attack, and defend.
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Judging on the Fly

You may occasionally run into situations
where it seems appropriate to provide a
different benefit or penalty for a given action
result than the one listed. Its okay to go back
to the basic description of the four outcomes
and sub in something that makes sense.
For example, on the overcome action it says
you get a boost in addition to success when
you succeed with style. But if that overcome
roll is going to end the scene, or you cant
think of a good boost, You may choose to
offer a story detail as an extra benefit instead.
Create an Advantage
Use the create an advantage action to make a
situation aspect that gives you a benefit, or to claim a
benefit from any aspect you have access to.
The create an advantage action covers a broad range
of endeavors, unified around the theme of using
your skills to take advantage (hence the name) of the
environment or situation youre in.
Sometimes, that means youre doing something to
actively change your circumstances (like firing a lightbased power at opponents eyes or setting something
on fire), but it could also mean that youre discovering
new information that helps you (like learning how to
use a piece of alien technology through trial-and-error),
or taking advantage of something youve previously
observed (like your opponents predisposition to a
bad temper).
When you roll to create an advantage, you must
specify whether youre creating a new situation
aspect or taking advantage of an aspect thats already
in place. If the former, are you attaching that situation
aspect to a character or to the environment?
Opposition might be active or passive, depending on
the circumstances. If your target is another character,
their roll always counts as a defend action.
If youre using create an advantage to make a
new aspect
When you fail, you either dont create the
aspect, or you create it but someone else gets
the free invokewhatever you end up doing
works to someone elses advantage instead.
That could be your opponent in a conflict, or
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any character who could tangibly benefit to

your detriment. You may have to reword the
aspect to show that the other character benefits
insteadwork it out with the recipient in
whichever way makes the most sense.
When you tie, you get a boost instead of the
situation aspect you were going for. This might
mean you have to rename the aspect a bit
to reflect its temporary nature (Rough Terrain
becomes Rocks on the Path).
When you succeed, you create a situation aspect
with a free invocation.
When you succeed with style, you get a situation
aspect with two free invocations instead of one.
Trinity is chasing a thug for the Terenza family
down some alleyways in New York. Along the
way, she decides to use her spell to control
metallic objects (Magnetic Control) to Create
an Advantage by throwing all of the empty
cans, small trash cans, and other objects into
the air to distract the thug.
Trinity rolls her Magic, which is Superb (+5)
and gets a +1, for a total of Fantastic (+6).
Mike rolls to defend for the thug, and gets a
total of Good (+3).
Trinity succeeded with style, and places a
Distracted aspect on the thug, which she can
invoke twice for free.
If youre using create an advantage on an existing
aspect
When you fail, you give a free invoke on that
aspect to someone else instead. That could be
your opponent in a conflict, or any character who
could tangibly benefit to your detriment.
When you tie or succeed, you place a free
invocation on the aspect.
When you succeed with style, you place two free
invocations on the aspect.
Midnight Avenger is questioning a supposed
associate of the Terenza crime family about
anything he might know concerning hi-tech
arms making their way into New York. Mike
describes the scene, and makes mention of
the man wearing a crucifix around his neck.
Dylan grabs onto that detail, thinking that if the

man is wearing a crucifix, hes likely religious
and maybe even a little superstitious. He
decides to bare his fangs at the guy, since they
are along and secluded. He isnt exactly sure
what aspect hes going for, but hes betting
the guy isnt going to be thrilled learning that
vampires are real.
works like a normal success, but you also have

the option to reduce the value of your hit by one
to gain a boost as well.
For this, he uses his Good (+3) in Provoke and

rolls a +1 on the dice, for a Great (+4) total.
Mike rolls for the high level lieutenant in the

crime family, Wraiths opponent, and gets a
total of Great (+4).
Mike rolls to defend, and gets a Fair (+2) total.

Mike reveals that the fella is very superstitious,
and makes the aspect The Devil Walks
Amongst Us known to everyone.
Dylan has one free invocation of the aspect
that he can use, or pass of to someone else.
Attack
Use the attack action to harm someone in a conflict
or take them out of a scene.
The attack action is the most straightforward of the
four actionswhen you want to hurt someone in a
conflict, its an attack. An attack isnt always physical
in nature; some skills allow you to hurt someone
mentally as well.
Most of the time, your target will actively oppose
your attack. Passive opposition on an attack means
youve caught your target unaware or otherwise
unable to make a full effort to resist you, or the NPC
isnt important enough to bother with dice.
In addition, passive or not, the opposition always
counts as a defend action so you can look at these
two actions as being inexorably intertwined.
When you fail at an attack, you dont cause any
harm to your target. (It also means that your
target succeeded on the defend action, which
could get you saddled with other effects.)
When you tie an attack, you dont cause any
harm, but you gain a boost.
When you succeed on an attack, you inflict a
hit on your target equal to the number of shifts
you got. That forces the target to try and buy
off the value of your hit by taking stress or
consequences; if thats not possible, your target
gets taken out of the conflict.
When you succeed with style on an attack, it
Wraith barrels into his opponent, and starts

pummeling him with fists. He rolls his Fight
of Great (+4) and gets +2 on the dice, for a
Fantastic (+6) total.
Xander wants to do better, and the Terenza

family has been discovered to be abducting
runaways to use as experiments within their
black-ops G.O.D. organization. Xander spends
a fate point and invokes Wraiths aspect of: I
Will Not Let What Happened To Me Happen
To Others, for an additional +2.
His total is now Legendary (+8), a whopping
+4 points over his opponent. Xander
decides to reduce his damage and place
a Boost. He lowers his damage by -1,
doing 3-Stress to the villain. He describes
his flurry of blows to the guys head, and
places a Dazed boost on him.
Defend
Use the defend action to avoid an attack or prevent
someone from creating an advantage against you.
Whenever someone attacks you in a conflict or tries
to create an advantage on you, you always get a
chance to defend. As with attacks, this isnt always
about avoiding physical sources of danger. Some
of the skills allow you to defend against attempts to
harm your mind or damage your resolve.
Because you roll to defend as a reaction, your
opposition is almost always active. If youre rolling a
defend action against passive opposition, its because
the environment is hostile to you somehow (like a
blazing fire), or the attacking NPC isnt important
enough for the GM to bother with dice.
When you fail at a defense, you suffer the
consequences of whatever you were trying
to prevent. You might take a hit or have an
advantage created on you.
When you tie a defense, you grant your
opponent a boost.
When you succeed at a defense, you
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successfully avoid the attack or the attempt to

gain an advantage on you.
When you succeed with style at a defense, it
works like a normal success, but you also gain a
boost as you turn the tables momentarily.
Trinity is being confronted by a visage of
Xanarath, the extradimensional demon who
grants her the mystical abilities she harnesses.
Xanarath is not too happy that Trinity has
been using his powers for the forces of good.
Although he cant physically harm her while
she is on the Earth plane and hes in his
home dimension, he nonetheless decides to
intimidate her, informing her how her actions
will have repercussions, not only for her
teammates, but also her loved ones.
Mike rolls Provoke for Xanarath, which is rated
at Superb (+5). He gets +1 on the dice, for a
Fantastic (+6) total.
Anna rolls Trinitys Will, rated at Good (+3). She
gets +3 on the dice, for total of Fantastic (+6).
Since Anna tied on her Defend action, Mike
gets to place a boost on her, representing that
Xanarath is starting to get to her. He calls it:
Flustered and Worried, writes it on an index
card, and slides it over to Anna.
Can I Defend Against

Overcome Actions?
Technically, no. The defend action is
there to stop you from taking stress,
consequences, or situation aspects
basically, to protect you against all the
bad stuff we represent with mechanics.
But, you can roll active opposition if youre in
the way of any action, as per the guidelines.
So if someones doing an overcome action
that might fail because youre in the way, you
should speak up and say, Hey, Im in the
way! and roll to oppose it. You dont get any
extra benefits like the defend action gives
you, but you also dont have to worry about
the aforementioned bad stuff if you lose.
No Stacked Effects!
Youll notice that the defend action has
outcomes that mirror some of the outcomes
in attack and create an advantage. For
example, it says that when you tie a
defense, you grant your opponent a Boost.
Under attack, it says that when you tie, you
receive a Boost.
That doesnt mean the attacker gets two
boostsits the same result, just from two
different points of view. We just wrote it that
way so that the results were consistent when
you looked up the rule, regardless of what
action you took.
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Whether attempting to infiltrate a villains lair, trading
blows with evil on the public streets, engaging
someone in a mental conflict, or trying to calm
panicked citizens, just as Daring Comics resolves
around the four action types of Overcome, Create an
Advantage, Attack, and Defend, the context of where
those action types will take place are divided into
Conflict, Challenge, and Contest.
In this chapter, well explore each of those three
types in detail, and explain which is the best method
depending on the type of scene taking place.
Zooming In On The Action

Most of the time, a single skill roll should be enough
to decide how a particular situation in play resolves.
Youre not obligated to describe actions in a particular
timeframe or level of detail when you use a skill.
Therefore, you could use a single Athletics roll to find
out whether you can safely climb the outside of a
skyscraper, or use that same single skill roll to find out
whether you can safely avoid a crumbling building
thats about to crush you.
Sometimes, however, youll be in a situation
where youre doing something really dramatic and
interesting, like pivotal set pieces in a movie or a
book. When that happens, its a good idea to zoom
in on the action and deal with it using multiple skill
rolls, because the wide range of dice results will
make things really dynamic and surprising. Most
fight scenes fall into this category, but you can
zoom in on anything that you consider sufficiently
importantcar chases, court trials, high-stakes
poker games, and so on.
We have three ways for you to zoom in on the action
in Daring Comics:
Conflicts, when two or more characters are
trying to directly harm each other
Challenges, when one or more characters try to
achieve something dynamic or complicated
Contests, when two or more characters are
competing for a goal
Conflicts
In a conflict, characters are actively trying to harm
one another. It could be a fist fight, a battle of ranger
super-powers, or even using city debris against each
other. It could also be a tough interrogation, a psychic
assault, or a shouting match with a loved one. As
long as the characters involved have both the intent
and the ability to harm one another, then youre in a
conflict scene.
Conflicts are either physical or mental in nature,
based on the kind of harm youre at risk of suffering.
In physical conflicts, you suffer bruises, scrapes, cuts,
and other injuries. In mental conflicts, you suffer loss
of confidence and self-esteem, loss of composure,
and other psychological trauma.
Setting up a conflict is a little more involved than
setting up contests or challenges. Here are the steps:
Set the scene, describing the environment the
conflict takes place in, creating situation aspects
and zones, and establishing whos participating
and what side theyre on.
Determine the turn order.
Start the first exchange:
On your turn, take an action and then resolve
it.
On other peoples turns, Defend or respond to
their actions as necessary.
At the end of everyones turn, start again with
a new exchange.
You know the conflict is over when everyone on one
of the sides has conceded or been Taken Out.
Setting the Scene

GMs and players, you should talk briefly before you
start a conflict about the circumstances of the scene.
This mainly involves coming up with quick answers to
variations of the four W-questions, such as:
159
Whos in the conflict?

Where are they positioned relative to one
another?
When is the conflict taking place? Is that
important?
Whats the environment like?
Things to hide behind: vehicles, obstructions, or

large furniture.
Things you can knock over, wreck, or use as
improvised weapons: bookshelves, crates, et
cetera.
Things that are flammable
You dont need an exhaustive amount of detail here,

like precise measures of distance or anything like
that. Just resolve enough to make it clear for everyone
whats going on.
Situation Aspects
And Zones In Mental
Conflicts
GMs, youre going to take this information and create

situation aspects to help further define the arena of
conflict.
In a mental conflict, it might not always make

sense to use situation aspects and zones to
describe a physical space. Itd make sense
in an interrogation, for example, where the
physical features of the space create fear,
but not in a really violent argument with a
loved one. Also, when people are trying to
hurt each other emotionally, usually theyre
using their targets own weaknesses against
themin other words, their own aspects.
Wraith, Trinity, Barrage, and Midnight Avenger

are breaking into a dockside warehouse in order
to find a shipment of the hi-tech weapons that
have been turning the streets of New York into
a warzone. Unfortunately, someone tipped the
Terenza crime family off. Now Brickhouse, one
of the super-powered lieutenants, is at the
warehouse waiting for them to show up, and
he brought along four associates.
The participants in the conflict are pretty
obviousthe PCs, plus Brickhouse and
four nameless thugs, all NPCs under Mikes
control. The warehouse is the environment,
and the group takes a moment to talk about
itboxes and crates everywhere, large and
open, theres probably a second floor, and
Mike mentions the loading door is open
because theyre waiting for a ship to come in.
Situation Aspects
GMs, when youre setting the scene, keep an eye
out for fun-sounding features of the environment to
make into situation aspects, especially if you think
someone might be able to take advantage of them
in an interesting way in a conflict. Dont overload it.
Find three to five evocative things about your conflict
location and make them into aspects.
Good options for situation aspects include:
Anything regarding the general mood, weather,
or lighting: dark or badly lit, storming, creepy,
crumbling, blindingly bright, et cetera.
Anything that might affect or restrict movement:
filthy, mud everywhere, slippery, rough, and so
forth.
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So, you may not even need situation aspects

or zones for a lot of mental conflicts. Dont
feel obligated to include them.
Considering our warehouse again, Mike
thinks about what might make good situation
aspects.
He decides that there are enough reinforced
metal crates in here to make free movement a
potential problem, so she picks Heavy Crates
and Crowded as aspects. The loading door is
open, which means that theres a large dock
with water in it, so she also picks Open to
the Water as a situation aspect, figuring that
someone might try to knock someone in.
As the scene unfolds, players might suggest features
of the environment that are perfect as aspects. If the
GM described the scene as being poorly lit, a player
should be able to invoke the Shadows to help on a
Stealth roll even if she hadnt previously established
it as an aspect. If the feature would require some
intervention on the part of the characters in the scene
to become aspect-worthy, then thats the purview of
the create an advantage action. Usually the apartment
complex doesnt catch On Fire! without someone
actually committing a bit of arson.
Zones
GMs, if your conflict takes place over a large area,
you may want to break it down into zones for
easier reference.
A zone is an abstract representation of physical space.
The best definition of a zone is that its close enough
that you can interact directly with someone (in other
words, walk up to and punch them in the face).
Generally speaking, a conflict should rarely involve
more than a handful of zones. Two to four is probably
sufficient, save for really big conflicts. This isnt a
miniatures board game zones should give a tactile
sense of the environment, but at the point where you
need something more than a cocktail napkin to lay it
out, youre getting too complicated.
If you can describe the area as bigger than
a house, you can probably divide it into two
or more zones think of a warehouse or a
shopping center parking lot.
If its separated by stairs, a ladder, a fence,
or a wall, it could be divided zones, like two
floors of a house.
Above X and below X can be different zones,
especially if moving between them takes some
doingthink of the airspace around something
large, like a blimp.
When youre setting up your zones, note any
situation aspects that could make moving
between those zones problematic. Theyll be
important later, when people want to move
from zone to zone. If that means you need
more situation aspects, add them now.
Mike decides the warehouse needs to be
multiple zones. The main floor is big enough,
in his mind, for two zones, and the Heavy
Crates he mentioned earlier make it hard to
freely move between them.
He knows theres also a second floor
ringing the inner walls, so he makes that an
additional zone. He adds Shadowy Upper
Level to the scene.
If, for some reason, someone decides to run
outside, he figures that can be a fourth zone, but
he doesnt think he needs any aspects for it.
He sketches the rough map on an index card
for everyone to see.
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Tight Zones
Establishing Sides
While zones divide up big areas like parking lots and

stadiumsshowing how difficult it is to run across a
football field quicklythey can also be used to divide
up small areas in interesting ways. For example, a
fight on an invading space vessel might take place
in tight quarters that require allies to cross several
zones in order to offer support to a friend in trouble.
By forcing players to choose between spending
actions on moving or offering help from afar, zones
can make ordinary conflicts dramatic.
Its important to know everyones goal in a conflict

before you start. People fight for a reason, and if
theyre willing to do harm, its usually an urgent
reason.
Dangerous Zone Aspects
Make sure everyone agrees on the general goals of

each side, whos on which side, and where everyone
is situated in the scene (like whos occupying which
zone) when the conflict begins.
Zones can also create drama by restricting

movement and providing threats the characters have
to overcome. For example, a zone on a battlefield
might have the aspect Taking Heavy Fire, requiring
characters to make an Athletics roll to avoid taking
damage as they run through the firefight. Some zones
might also disappear after a specified number of
turns. Collapsing bridges, plummeting space ships,
and closing impregnable doors, all push characters
to move quickly as the battlefield shifts around them
and give the players a chance to force NPCs into
those zones to contend with the threats as well.
Mental or Social Zones

Not all conflicts happen in the physical world; superheroes are often drawn into mental conflicts that can
be mapped out in interesting ways. For example,
a psychic may find her way through a patients
dreamscape blocked by situation aspects that must
be overcome though a series of Investigation and
Empathy rolls.
For those of you who want mental conflicts involving a
telepath or psychic to be more than just a few simple
die rolls, move the conflict onto a mental plane that
for all intents and purposes appears as a physical
reality. Draw out your zone map accordingly, and note
any zone barriers and situation aspects. Then treat
the conflict the same as you would a physical battle.
Try to keep in mind, however, that while the mental
conflict is going on, your non-psychic players are
going to be sitting around and waiting. So, use this
option only occasionally, and only for truly dramatic
mental battles, or make sure to split your spotlight
between the psychic and physical realms.
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The normal assumption is that the player characters

are on one side, fighting against NPCs who are in
opposition. It doesnt always have to be that way,
howeverPCs can fight each other and be allied with
NPCs against each other.
It might also help, GMs, to decide how those groups

are going to divvy up to face one anotheris one
character going to get mobbed by the bad guys
henchmen, or is the opposition going to spread itself
around equally among the PCs? You might change
your mind once the action starts, but if you have a
basic idea, it gives you a good starting point to work
from.
In our continuing warehouse fight example,
the sides are obvious: Brickhouse and the
Terenza thugs want to do in the PCs, and the
PCs want to keep that from happening.
The conflict starts with everyone on the main
warehouse floor. Mike decides that Brickhouse
and one of the thugs are going to go after
Trinity. Each of the remaining thugs will attempt
to slow down one of the other heroes.
Turn Order
Your turn order in a conflict is based on your skills. In
a physical conflict, compare your Notice skill to the
other participants. In a mental conflict, compare your
Empathy skill. Whoever has the highest gets to go
first, and then everyone else in descending order.
If theres a tie, compare a secondary or tertiary skill.
For physical conflicts, thats Athletics, then Physique.
For mental conflicts, Rapport, then Will. If theres still
a tie after all that, just roll the four fate dice with the
highest total acting first, or let the players decide, or
whatever works best for your table.
GMs, for a simple option, pick your most advantageous
NPC to determine your place in the turn order, and let
all your NPCs go at that time.
Wraith has a Notice of Good (+3), higher than everyone

else, so he goes first.
Midnight Avenger and Barrage both have Notice
at Fair (+2), making it a tie. Since this is a physical
conflict, they both go to Athletics next. As luck would
have it, they both also have Athletics at Good (+3),
resulting in another tie. Going to Physique, they find
yet a third tie. They both have it at Average (+1).
Finally, Midnight Avenger just tells Barrage to go first,
and hell follow-up afterward..
Trinity has a Notice of Average (+1), so she goes
fourth.
Brickhouse and his thugs all lack the Notice skill.
Brickhouse has Physique at Superb (+5), and his
thugs dont have it, so he goes fifth and they go last.
The Exchange
Exchanges in a conflict are a little more complicated
than in contests. In an exchange, every character
gets a turn to take an action. GMs, you get to go once
for every NPC you control in the conflict.
Full Defense
If you want, you can forgo your action for the
exchange to concentrate on defense. You dont get
to do anything proactive, but you do get to roll all
defend actions for the exchange at a +2 bonus.
Weapon and Armor Ratings

Daring Comics uses Weapon and Armor ratings.
A Weapon value adds to the shift value of a successful
hit. So, if you have Weapon: 2, it means that any hit
is worth 2 more shifts than it would normally be. This
counts for ties, so when youre using a weapon, you
inflict stress on a tie instead of getting a boost. That
makes weapons very dangerous.
An Armor value reduces the shifts of a successful hit.
So, Armor:2 makes any hit worth 2 less than usual. If
you hit, but the targets Armor reduces the shift value
to 0 or below, you get a boost to use on your target
but dont do any harm.
Resolving Attacks
Most of the time, youre going to be attacking another

character or creating an advantage on your turn,
because thats the point of a conflicttake your
opponent out, or set things up to make it easier to
take your opponent out.
A successful attack lands a hit equivalent to its shift

value on a target. So if you get three shifts on an
attack, you land a 3-shift hit (plus any Weapon Rating
you might have). The damage is reduced on a 1:1
basis by any Armor rating the target possesses.
However, if you have a secondary objective in the

conflict scene, you might need to roll an overcome
action instead. Youll encounter this most often if you
want to move between zones but theres a situation
aspect in place making that problematic.
If you get hit by an attack and take one or more Hits

after accounting for Armor rating, then one of two
things happens: either you absorb the hit and stay in
the fight, or youre taken out.
Regardless, you only get to make one skill roll on

your turn in an exchange unless youre defending
against someone elses action, which you can do as
many times as you want. You can even make defend
actions on behalf of others, so long as you fulfill two
conditions: it has to be reasonable for you to interpose
yourself between the attack and its target, and you
have to suffer the effects of any failed rolls.
Handling A Lot of NPCs

GMs, if you have a lot of nameless NPCs
in your scene, feel free to have them use
passive opposition to keep your dice rolling
down. Also, consider using mobs instead of
individual NPCs to keep things simple.
Fortunately, you have two options for absorbing

hits to stay in the fight you can take stress and/
or consequences. You can also concede a conflict
before youre taken out, in order to preserve some
control over what happens to your character.
Taking a Hit
If, for whatever reason, you want to forego
your defense and take a hit (like, say, to
interpose yourself in the path of an arrow
thats about to skewer your friend), you can.
Because youre not defending, the attackers
rolling against Mediocre (+0) opposition,
which means youre probably going to take
a bad hit.
163
Stress
One of your options to mitigate the effect of a hit is to
take stress.
The best way to understand stress is that it represents
all the various reasons why you just barely avoid taking
the full force of an attack. Maybe you twist away from
the blow just right, or it looks bad but is really just a
flesh wound, or you exhaust yourself diving out of the
way at the last second.
Mentally, stress could mean that you just barely
manage to ignore an insult, or clamp down on an
instinctive emotional reaction, or something like that.
Stress boxes also represent a loss of momentum
you only have so many last-second saves in you
before youve got to face the music.
On your character sheet, you have a number of stress
boxes, each with a different shift value. By default, all
characters get a 1-point and a 2-point box. You may
get additional, higher-value stress boxes depending
on some of your skills (usually Physique and Will).
When you take stress, check off a stress box with
a value equal to the shift value of the hit. If that box
is already checked, check off a higher value box. If
there is no higher available box, and you cant take
any consequences, youre taken out of the conflict.
You can only check off one stress box per hit.
Remember that you have two sets of stress boxes!
One of these is for physical stress, the other for
mental; youll start with a 1-shift and a 2-shift box
in each of these. If you take stress from a physical
source, you check off a physical stress box. If its a
mental hit, check off a mental stress box.
After a conflict, when you get a minute to breathe,
any stress boxes you checked off become available
for your use again.
Brickhouse, with his Super-Strength 1 (granting
him a Weapon: 1 rating to damage), pummels
Midnight Avenger. He gets two Shifts on his
attack roll, for a total of 3-Hits of damage (2Hits for the 2-Shifts, plus an addition 1-Hit for
his Super-Strength.
Midnight Avenger has all four stress boxes
available, so he checks off the 3-point stress
box to absorb the hit. That means he only
has his 1-point, 2-point, and 4-point boxes
available.
164
The next exchange, Brickhouse hits him

for another 3-Hits worth of damage. Since
Midnight Avenger already used his 3-point
stress box, he now has to use his 4-point box
to absorb the damage. He only has his 1-point
and 2-point boxes remaining, so another hit
like that and hes going to be forced to take a
consequence.
Consequences
The second option you have for mitigating a hit is
taking a consequence. A consequence is more severe
than stress. It represents some form of lasting injury or
setback that you accrue from the conflict, something
thats going to be a problem for your character after
the conflict is over.
Consequences come in three levels of severity: mild,
moderate, and severe. Each one has a different
shift value: two, four, and six, respectively. On your
character sheet, you have a number of available
consequence slots, in this section:
When you use a consequence slot, you reduce
the shift value of the attack by the shift value of
the consequence. You can use more than one
consequence at a time if theyre available. Any of the
hits remaining shifts must be handled by a stress box
to avoid being taken out.
However, theres a penalty. The consequence written
in the slot is an aspect that represents the lasting
effect incurred from the attack. The opponent
who forced you to take a consequence gets a free
invocation, and the aspect remains on your character
sheet until youve recovered the consequence slot.
While its on your sheet, the consequence is treated
like any other aspect, except because the slant on it
is so negative, its far more likely to be used to your
characters detriment.
Unlike stress, a consequence slot may take a long
time to recover after the conflict is over. Also unlike
stress, you only have one set of consequences;
there arent specific slots for physical versus mental
consequences. This means that, if you have to take
a mild consequence to reduce a mental hit and your
mild consequence slot is already filled with a physical
consequence, youre out of luck! Youre going to have
to use a moderate or severe consequence to absorb
that hit (assuming you have one left). The exception
to this is the extra consequence slot you would get
from a Superb (+5) Physique or Will is reserved for
physical or mental harm, respectively.
Going back to Midnight Avenger and

Brickhouse, the super-villain continues to beat
down the vampiric super-hero, landing a solid,
super-strength kick to the heros midsection,
causing a walloping 4-hits of damage. Since
Midnight Avenger only has his 1-point and
2-point stress boxes remaining, he has to take
a consequence.
Taking 4-hits of damage means he has to take
a Moderate Consequence, which represents
up to 4-points of damage. Dylan and Mike
agree to call the consequence Fractured Ribs,
and Dylan writes it down in the consequence
slot.
Naming a Consequence
Here are some guidelines for choosing what to name
a consequence:
Mild consequences dont require immediate
medical attention. They hurt, and they may present
an inconvenience, but they arent going to force
you into a lot of bed rest. On the mental side, mild
consequences express things like small social gaffes
or changes in your surface emotions. Examples:
Black Eye, Bruised Hand, Winded, Flustered, Cranky,
Temporarily Blinded.
Moderate consequences represent fairly serious
impairments that require dedicated effort toward
recovery (including medical attention). On the
mental side, they express things like damage to your
reputation or emotional problems that you cant just
shrug off with an apology and a good nights sleep.
Examples: Deep Cut, First Degree Burn, Exhausted,
Drunk, Terrified.
Severe consequences go straight to the emergency
room (or whatever the equivalent is in your game)
theyre extremely nasty and prevent you from doing
a lot of things, and will lay you out for a while. On the
mental side, they express things like serious trauma
or relationship-changing harm. Examples: SecondDegree Burn, Compound Fracture, Guts Hanging
Out, Crippling Shame, Trauma-Induced Phobia.
What Skill Do I Use

For Recovery?
In Daring Comics, physical recovery happens through
the Treatment skill. For mental recovery, use the
Empathy skill.
Powers such as Healing and Regeneration can also
be used, as described under the powers description.
Recovering from a
Consequence
In order to regain the use of a consequence slot, you
have to recover from the consequence. That requires
two things: succeeding at an action that allows you
to justify recovery, and then waiting an appropriate
amount of game time for that recovery to take place.
The action in question is an overcome action; the
obstacle is the consequence that you took. If its a
physical injury, then the action is some kind of medical
treatment or first aid. For mental consequences, the
action may involve therapy, counseling, or simply a
night out with friends.
The difficulty for this obstacle is based on the shift
value of the consequence. Mild is Fair (+2), moderate
is Great (+4), and severe is Fantastic (+6). If you are
trying to perform the recovery action on yourself,
increase the difficulty by two steps on the ladder.
Keep in mind that the circumstances have to be
appropriately free of distraction and tension for you
to make this roll in the first place. Youre not going
to clean and bandage a nasty cut while ogres are
tromping through the caves looking for you. GMs,
youve got the final judgment call.
If you succeed at the recovery action, or someone
else succeeds on a recovery action for you, you get
to rename the consequence aspect to show that
its in recovery. So, for example, Broken Leg could
become Stuck in a Cast, Scandalized could become
Damage Control, and so on. This doesnt free up
the consequence slot, but it serves as an indicator
that youre recovering, and it changes the ways the
aspects going to be used while it remains.
Whether you change the consequences name or
notand sometimes it might not make sense to do
somark it with a star so that everyone remembers
that recovery has started.
Then, you just have to wait the time.
The amount of time it takes is based upon the Series
Tone.
Midnight
Avenger
took
a
Moderate
Consequence in his fight with Brickhouse.
Back at the base, Trinity treats him at the
infirmary, and makes a Treatment roll against
Great (+4) opposition. She succeeds.
165
An extreme consequence will

absorb up to 8-shifts of a hit, but
at a very serious costyou must
replace one of your aspects
(except the high concept, thats
off limits) with the extreme
consequence. Thats right, an
extreme consequence is so
serious that taking it literally
changes who you are.
Unlike other consequences,
you cant make a recovery
action to diminish an extreme
consequence youre stuck with
it until your next major milestone.
After that, you can rename the
extreme consequence to reflect
that youre no longer vulnerable
to the worst of it, as long as
you dont just switch it out for
whatever your old aspect was.
Taking an extreme consequence
is a permanent character
change; treat it as such.
Conceding the
Conflict
This allows Midnight Avenger to rename the

consequence to something like Taped Ribs
and start the recovery process. Since the
series tone was set to Four Color, hell recover
from the injury after half an issue. Afterward,
hell erase the consequence and be able to
use the slot again in a later conflict.
Extreme Consequences
In addition to the normal set of mild, moderate,
and severe consequences, every PC also gets one
last-ditch option to stay in a fightthe extreme
consequence. Between major milestones, you can
only use this option once.
166
When all else fails, you can

also just give in. Maybe youre
worried that you cant absorb
another hit, or maybe you decide
that continuing to fight is just not
worth the punishment. Whatever
the reason, you can interrupt
any action at any time before
the roll is made to declare that
you concede the conflict. This is
super-important once dice hit
the table, whatever happens is
written in stone, and youre either taking more stress,
suffering more consequences, or getting Taken Out.
Concession gives the other person what they wanted
from you, or in the case of more than two combatants,
removes you as a concern for the opposing side.
Youre out of the conflict, period.
But its not all bad. First of all, you get a fate point
for choosing to concede. On top of that, if youve
sustained any consequences in this conflict, you get
an additional fate point for each consequence. These
fate points may be used once this conflict is over.
Second of all, you get to avoid the worst parts of your

fate. Yes, you lost, and the narration has to reflect
that. But you cant use this privilege to undermine the
opponents victory, eitherwhat you say happens
has to pass muster with the group.
That can make the difference between, say, being
mistakenly left for dead and ending up in the enemys
clutches, in shackles, without any of your stuff
the sort of thing that can happen if youre taken out
instead. Thats not nothing.
Brickhouse turns out to be too much for
Midnight Avenger to Handle, having hit
with several devastating attacks in the
course of the fight.
Before Mikes next turn, Dylan says, I concede.
I dont want to risk any more consequences.
Midnight Avenger taken a moderate
consequence. He gets a fate point for
conceding, as well as one more fate point for
the single consequence he took, giving him
two total.
Mike says, So, what are you trying to
avoid here?
Dylan says, Well, I dont want to get killed or
captured, for starters.
Mike says, Fair enough. So, well say that
Brickhouse knocks you out cold and doesnt
bother to finish you off, because he still has
your teammates to deal with. He may even
think youre dead. But, hell quickly search
your person and take the two vials of blood
you have for later feeding.
Dylan is okay with that. He doesnt get captured
or killed, and by taking his blood supply, it
adds some teeth to him being defeated.
Getting Taken Out

If you dont have any stress or consequences left to buy
off all the shifts of a hit, that means youre taken out.
Taken Out is bad. It means not only that you cant fight
anymore, but that the person who took you out gets
to decide what your loss looks like and what happens
to you after the conflict. Obviously, they cant narrate
anything thats out of scope for the conflict (like having
you die from shame), but that still gives someone else
a lot of power over your character that you cant really
do anything about.
Character Death
So, if you think about it, theres not a whole lot keeping
someone from saying, after taking you out, that your
character dies. Typically, the average villain might
not have any morale issues with simply killing you,
so it certainly seems reasonable that one possible
outcome of defeat is your character getting killed.
In practice, though, this assumption might be pretty
controversial depending on what kind of group youre
in. Some people think that character death should
always be on the table, if the rules allow it, and if
thats how the dice fall, then so be it.
Others are more circumspect, and consider it very
damaging to their fun if they lose a character upon
whom theyve invested hours and hours of gameplay,
just because someone spent a lot of fate points or
their die rolls were particularly unlucky.
We recommend the latter approach, mainly for the
following reason: most of the time, sudden character
death is a pretty boring outcome when compared to
putting the character through hell. On top of that, all
the story threads that character was connected to
just kind of stall with no resolution, and you have to
expend a bunch of effort and time figuring out how to
get a new character into play mid-stride.
That doesnt mean theres no room for character death
in the game, however. We just recommend that you
save that possibility for conflicts that are extremely
pivotal, dramatic, and meaningful for that character
in other words, conflicts in which that character would
knowingly and willingly risk dying in order to win.
Players and GMs, if youve got the feeling that youre
in that kind of conflict, talk it out when youre setting
the scene and see how people feel.
At the very least, even if youre in a hardcore group
that invites the potential for character death on
any taken out result, make sure that you telegraph
the opponents lethal intent. GMs, this is especially
important for you, so the players will know which
NPCs really mean business, and can concede to
keep their characters alive if need be.
Movement
In a conflict, its important to track where everyone
is relative to one another, which is why we divide the
environment where the conflicts taking place into
zones. Where you have zones, you have people trying
to move around in them in order to get at one another
or at a certain objective.
167
Normally, its no big deal to move from one zone to

another. If theres nothing preventing you from doing
so, you can move one zone in addition to your action
for the exchange.
If you want to move more than one zone (up to
anywhere else on the map), if a situation aspect
suggests that it might be difficult to move freely, or if
another character is in your way, then you must make
an overcome action using Athletics to move. This
counts as your action for the exchange.
GMs, just as with other Overcome rolls, youll set
the difficulty. You might use the number of zones
the character is moving or the situation aspects in
the way as justification for how high you set passive
opposition. If another character is impeding the
path, roll active opposition and feel free to invoke
obstructing situation aspects in aid of their defense.
If you fail that roll, whatever was impeding you keeps
you from moving. If you tie, you get to move, but your
opponent takes a temporary advantage of some kind.
If you succeed, you move without consequence. If
you succeed with style, you can claim a Boost in
addition to your movement.
In our continuing warehouse conflict, Barrage
wants to go after one of the thugs, who has
started shooting from the second floor. That
requires her to cross one zone to get to the
access ladder for the second floor, and then
climb it, making her opponent two zones away.
Shes currently mixing it up with a thug herself,
whose Accuracy is at Fair (+2).
Keirdwyn tells Mike her intent, and Amanda
says, Okay, the thug youre fighting is going
to try and keep you from getting away, so hes
going to provide active opposition.
Barrages Athletics is Good (+3). She rolls
and gets +1, for a Great result. The thug rolls
his opposition, and rolls 2, for a result of
Mediocre (+0). That gives Barrage three shifts,
and a success with style.
Keirdwyn and Amanda describe Barrage
faking out the thug with some quick bursts
from her hi-tech gun, vaulting over a crate,
and taking the ladder two rungs at a time
to get up top. She takes a boost, which she
calls Momentum.
The thug up top swallows hard, swinging his
handgun toward the hero.
168
Advantages in a Conflict
Remember that aspects you create as advantages
follow all the rules for situation aspects. That means
the GM can use them to justify overcome actions,
they last until theyre made irrelevant or the scene is
over, and in some cases they represent as much a
threat to you as an opponent.
When you create an advantage in a conflict, think
about how long you want that aspect to stick around
and whom you want to have access to it. Its difficult for
anyone besides you and your friends to justify using
an advantage you stick to a character, but its also
easier to justify getting rid of it. Usually one overcome
action could undo it. Its harder to justify getting rid of
an aspect on the environment (seriously, who is going
to move that flaming semi you just threw in the middle
of the narrow street?), but anyone in the scene could
potentially find a reason to take advantage of it.
Other Actions in a Conflict

As stated above, you may find yourself in a situation
where you want to do something else while your
friends are fighting. You might be disarming a death
trap, searching for a piece of information, or checking
for hidden assailants.
In order to do this, GMs, set the player up with a
modified form of challenge. One of the tasks is likely
going to be to defend yourself. In any exchange where
someone attacks you or tries to create an advantage
on you, you must Defend successfully in order to be
able to take one of the other actions in the challenge.
So long as no one has successfully attacked you or
stuck an advantage on you, you can use your action
to roll for one of the challenge goals.
Free Actions
Sometimes it just makes sense that your character is
doing something else in conjunction with or as a step
toward their action in an exchange. You quick-draw
a weapon before you use it, you shout a warning
before you kick in a door, or you quickly size up a
room before you attack. These little bits of action are
colorful description more than anything else, meant
to add atmosphere to the scene.
GMs, dont fall into the trap of trying to police every
little detail of a players description. Remember,
if theres no significant or interesting opposition,
you shouldnt require a rolljust let the players
accomplish what they say they do. Reloading a gun
or fishing for something in your backpack is part
of performing the action. You shouldnt require any

mechanics to deal with that.
Ending a Conflict
Under most circumstances, when all of the members
of one side have either conceded the conflict or have
been taken out, the conflict is over.
GMs, once you know a conflict has definitively ended,
you can pass out all the fate points earned from
concession. Players, take the fate points for when
your aspects were invoked against you, make a note
of whatever consequences you suffered in the fight,
and erase any checks in your stress boxes.
Transitioning to a
Contest or Challenge
You may find yourself in a conflict scene where the
participants are no longer interested in or willing to
harm one another, because of some change in the
circumstances. If that happens, and theres still more
to resolve, you can transition straight into a contest
or challenge as you need. In that case, hold off on
awarding the end-of-conflict fate points and whatnot
until youve also resolved the contest or challenge.
Teamwork
Characters can help each other out on actions.
There are two versions of helping in Daring Comics
combining skills, for when you are all putting the
same kind of effort into an action (like using Physique
together to push over a crumbling wall), and stacking
advantages, for when the group is setting a single
person up to do well (like causing multiple distractions
so one person can use Stealth to get into a fortress).
When you combine skills, figure out who has the
highest skill level among the participants. Each other
participant who has at least an Average (+1) in the
same skill adds a +1 to the highest persons skill level,
and then only the lead character rolls. So if you have
three helpers and youre the highest, you roll your skill
level with a +3 bonus.
If you fail a roll to combine skills, all of the participants
share in the potential costswhatever complication
affects one character affects all of them, or everyone
has to take consequences. Alternatively, you can
impose a cost that affects all the characters the same.
Following an explosion in the middle of Times
Square, the heroes are trying desperately to
move a large piece of rubble to rescue the

child trapped in a small hole underneath. Mike
declares it a Physique effort.
Wraith has Good (+3) Physique and is the
highest on the team. Midnight Avenger,
Barrage, and Trinity each have it at Average
(+1), so they each contribute. Wraith now rolls
Physique, with a +3 to the roll.
When you stack advantages, each person takes
a create an advantage action as usual, and gives
whatever free invocations they get to a single
character. Remember that multiple free invocations
from the same aspect can stack.
Later in the story, the team must once again
face Brickhouse. Knowing how damned strong
and invulnerable the villain is, and that Midnight
Avenger has a personal grudge against him,
the team decides to work together to let their
vampiric ally get his vengeance.
Barrage knows that her ice gun wont freeze
and hold the villain for long, but that isnt her
intent. She just wants to keep him busy. She
lays down some cover fire, successfully using
the Create an Advantage action to place a
Distracted aspect on with one free invocation.
Next, Wraith uses his invisibility power to
phase in and out of existence as he pummels
Brickhouse, always moving behind him.
He isnt trying to hurt the guy, just distract
him even more. He succeeds with style on
his Create an Advantage action, for two
free invocations. Xander decides his action
mirrored what Barrage was going for, so just
adds the additional two free invocations to the
already existing Distracted aspect.
Meanwhile, Trinity casts her Light Control
spell, getting a +2 to Create an Advantage
action when creating light based aspects
(as per the powers description), and also
succeeds with style against Brickhouse.
She creates a Blinded aspect on him with
two free invocations.
All three heroes turn over the five free
invocations to Midnight Avenger, which he
uses for a whopping +10 to his attack against
the pain-in-the-ass villain.
Brickhouse should never have taken Midnight
Avengers blood supply.
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Collateral Damage
In comic books, super-heroes and their villainous
counterparts are always tearing up the scenery
whenever they go toe-to-toe. Whether its energy
beams, super-science, or super-strength and
invulnerability, the surrounding environment rarely
stays intact for long. While a lot of such collateral
damage can be represented by simply situation
aspects and even some detonating situation aspects,
theres another mechanic that Daring Comics uses to
not only represent the wear-and-tear on the scene,
but also allow the heroes to stand a little longer, and
fight a little harder.
Its called the Collateral Damage Consequence.
Collateral Consequences
Each story arc begins with the player-characters
having a pool of three communal consequences,
one for each of the three normal consequence
slots of Mild, Moderate, and Severe (Collateral
Damage Consequences do not have an Extreme
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Consequence slot). Keep in mind, its one of each

type of consequence slot in total, not one per player.
Whenever a player-character would have taken a
consequence, they can instead decide to use one of
the communal slots at an equal or greater value, and
instead place the consequence on the environment
as Collateral Damage. Once a slot is used by a
player, it is no longer available for the rest of the story
arc unless it is cleared by the end of the Issue or
personally assumed by the character (see: Clearing
Collateral Consequences below).
Midnight Avenger is facing an alien parasite
infected Phalanx (one of the worlds most
powerful super-heroes), and is hit with a superstrength punch that sends him reeling for a
massive Moderate Consequence. Instead of
taking the hit, Dylan decides to use the open
Moderate Collateral Damage Consequence
slot. Since theyre fighting on a city street, he
describes how he instead dodges the blow
and Phalanx instead takes out a telephone
pole, causing multiple live wires to hit the
street and placing nearby citizens in jeopardy.
The group decides to call it Downed Live

Wires and writes it in the appropriate Collateral
Consequence.
The group now has the Mild and Severe
Collateral Consequence slots remaining.
Clearing Collateral
Consequences
Using Collateral Consequences are not to be taken
lightly. Each of these Consequences must be cleared
by the end of the Issue by an Overcome action (using
whatever skill is appropriate) with an opposition +2
over the normal for a Consequence. In other words:
a Mild is a Great (+4), a Moderate is a Fantastic (+6),
and a Severe is a Legendary (+8) opposition. Until
cleared, Collateral Consequences can be Compelled
and Invoked against your heroes, though you can
offer a fate point to resist the Compel as normal.
To make matters more precarious for your heroes
who use the environment to avoid taking the hit,
only one Overcome action can be made to clear a
specific Collateral Consequence. That isnt one per
player, but one per group. So, your team is definitely
going to have to use Teamwork if the environment
gets too beat up.
If you clear them, great! Well done.
If you fail to clear them by the end of the Issue,
however, one of two things happen. Either any player
can offer to take the Consequence onto themselves
at the same severity (renamed if required to represent
how they are taking the blame, and so forth), or the
Consequences remains in the collateral slot and that
slot cannot be used again for the rest of the story arc
(what happens to it after that is explained to the GM
in Chapter 15: Advancing the Series).
If you take the Collateral Consequence as a personal
consequence, it can then be cleared as normal.
However, until it does, remember that youve now
lost an otherwise open consequence slot due to the
trust damage, public outrage, guilt, and so forth that
your battle caused.
Throughout the fight with Phalanx, the heroes
use both a Moderate and Severe Collateral
Consequence slot. Now that the fight is over
and they have a moment, they decide its time
to start cleaning up in one fashion or another.
The Moderate slot is Downed Live Wires,
and since it is a 4-point Consequence has
an opposition of Fantastic (+6) to clear. Mike
tells them that itll require Athletic rolls, since

basically theyre be getting the wires up off
the street without getting electrocuted or
electrocuting anyone else (you would think the
bystanders would back off, but nothing is ever
that common sense easy). The group decides
to use the Teamwork rules, and after all the
bonuses are calculated and the lead hero
makes the roll, they get an Epic (+7) result.
Mike clears the Consequence, and the
Moderate Collateral Damage Consequence
is once again available for use in a
subsequent scene.
Next, they decide to tackle the Severe
Collateral Damage Consequence, which
was Heavily Damaged Skyscrapers. Since
repairing the skyscraper is beyond the heroes
ability, Mike decides that a Rapport roll will
be necessary to handle the evacuation out
of the highly populated, downtown business
area, danger zone.
Once again, the group uses the Teamwork
rules as best they can, but in the end fail to
clear the Consequence. None of the players
want to assume the Severe Consequence
under their own slots (which might have been
renamed to something such as: Damaged
Reputation), so the consequence remains in
the Severe Collateral Damage Consequence
until the end of the story arc.
Combat Tactics
Rarely do super-beings in comic books simply
stand toe-to-toe and duke it out. They are using
scenery, charging into a foe, grappling each other,
and distracting their opponent as a set-up for other
members of the team to hit em hard.
Combat tactics allow you to mimic the maneuvers
used in your favorite comic book battles, and are an
important part of any combat scene.
Aiming
To aim, take an action to place an aspect on the
target, such as In My Sights or I Have You Now,
which constitutes your action for the round. On the
next round, you can invoke the aspect as normal
(including any free invocations) to gain a bonus to
your attack roll.
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All-Out
With this tactic, you are throwing caution to the wind
and putting everything you have into an offensive.
When making an All-Out attack, you gain a +2 to your
attack roll. Due to your focus on attacking instead
of maintaining decent defenses, however, you also
get boost placed on you such as Wide Open or Left
Myself Vulnerable, which a single opponent (not
necessarily the one you attacked) gets to use against
you for free.
Charge
So, you want to use your body as a battering ram against
some poor person? Thats called a Charge attack.
To make a Charge attack you must first place an aspect
upon your target representing the set-up. On the
following round, you get the normal free invocations for
setting up the advantage, but must also move at least
10 feet to get your speed going. You make an Attack
action using your Physique, which your opponent can
defend against normally. If you have the Invulnerability
power, you get half its Power Level (round up) as a
weapon rating. In other words, Invulnerability 4 means
that if you hit the other person with a charge, you get a
Weapon: 2 damage bonus.
Otherwise, you do damage as normal for an attack roll.
There is an added option with a charge attack, though.
You can reduce your damage by any number of Shifts
achieved on the roll and knock back your opponent an
equal number of feet. If you have Super-Strength, you
knock them back an equal number of zones.
Keep in mind, you cannot reduce the Weapon Rating
you get for being invulnerable thats damage youre
doing on a hit through sheer toughness.
If you miss the Charge attack, you immediately
get a boost placed on you such as off-balance or
In a Bad Position that an opponent gets to use
against you for free. If you tie with the Defend roll,
you still suffer a boost with a free invocation as
above, plus your opponent gets to place a second
boost on you as normal.
Combat Tricks
Some maneuvers in comic books are actually combat
tricks using a particular power or attack typethe
grim vigilante who uses specially created boomerangs
to disarm a foe or knock him off his feet, or the worldrenowned archer who pins his opponent to a wall by
his clothes with several well-placed arrows.
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A combat trick can cover a wide range of possibilities

in a comic book campaign, and never cause actual
damage. The most common uses are detailed below.
Cover Fire
Using the cover fire maneuver means spraying an
area with (usually) bullets to cause the enemy to keep
their heads down. Its a great maneuver to cover an
escape or an action by an ally.
First, take an action to place a situation aspect on
the area, such as Hail of Bullets or More Lead
Than You Can Handle. In addition to the normal free
invocations, the Shifts you achieved on the roll act as
the passive opposition for your opponent. They have
to beat the opposition to be able to move across the
zone. You can use the aspects invocations (free or
with a fate point), to increase the passive opposition
by +2 per invocation. Likewise, the invocations can
also be used on Defend actions (such as against
ranged attacks against you or an ally), representing
the enemy being unable to take aim due to having to
also worry about the cover fire.
The Cover Fire lasts for the current exchange.
Disarm
To disarm an opponent, use the Create an Advantage
action to place a situation aspect on them, such as
Disarmed or Weaponless. Since you are placing the
aspect directly on your opponent, they get to Defend
against it normally.
If you succeed, you place the aspect with the
usual number of free invocations. Additionally, your
opponent cannot use the weapon (which means they
are likely to lose access to their Weapons skill, too),
until they succeed at an Overcome action to remove
the aspect, which recovers the weapon. If you choose
not to oppose the action, then its against Mediocre
(+0) passive opposition. Otherwise, they must roll
against your skill as active opposition.
Distraction
A distraction is simply a matter of using the normal
rules to Create an Advantage and place an aspect on
the opponent. They can Defend against the attempt
as normal, but the idea is for you to gain one or more
free invocations and pass them to an ally, representing
the enemy being focused on you and vulnerable to a
big hit from your teammate.
Interpose
You use your action for the round to place yourself
between an attack and its target.
As long as you can cross the necessary distance
as a normal movement, once per round you can
place yourself in a position to use your own
Defend action against an attack and take any
damage that might occur.
If youve already acted in the round, interposing
yourself requires that you spend a fate point.
Ranged Knockdown &

Close Quarter Trips
With this maneuver, you can use a thrown weapon to
trip an opponent within the same zone, or use your
Athletics, Fight, or Physique to knock your enemy to
the ground, up close and personal.
First, you must place an aspect on your opponent
such as Knocked Down or On Your Back, with
the usual number of free invocations, which your
opponent can Defend against. If youre successful,
your opponent is knocked to the ground. They lose
all movement until they get back to their feet. They
can attempt a ranged attack (such as firing energy
bolts or a gun), but their targets can invoke the aspect
placed upon them to assist in defense.
To remove the aspect is a Mediocre (+0) passive
opposition, but you can attempt to stop them by
taking your action to provide active opposition.
Ranged Pin
Using throwing knives, steel boomerangs, or arrows,
you want to pin your opponent to a surface, such as to
the floor or against a wall, without actually damaging
them.
Perform a Create an Advantage action to place an
aspect upon them, such as Stuck to the Wall or
Pinned to the Floor, which they can Defend against
normally. If successful, you place the aspect with
the normal number of free invocations. You can also
compel the aspect as normal, thereby using your
compel to prevent them from attacking (unless the
attack would make sense and be hard to stop, such
as eye beams).
To break free of the pin and remove the aspect, your
opponent must make an Overcome action against
passive opposition equal to the number of Shifts
you achieved on the roll. You can choose to use
invocations of the aspect (free or with a fate point) to

add +2 to the passive opposition.
Ricochet
Cover in Daring Comics is handled through the
invocation of situation aspects. A character might
invoke Large Crates or something like Armored
Truck to get a +2 or more (if more than one aspect is
invoked) to defensive rolls. The ricochet combat trick
lets you bounce your attack, whether a shield or an
energy beam, off of nearby objects to attack the target
in such a way that the cover gives them no benefit.
A ricochet can be performed once per conflict.
Make an Accuracy roll at against the targets Defend
roll. They do not get the benefit for invoking cover, but
for each surface after the first that you are bouncing
your attack off of, their Defend roll gets a +1 bonus.
If you succeed, you do damage as normal, plus an
additional Hit for each surface you bounced the
attack off of.
Fast Ball
A special maneuver between two characters, the
fast ball is a comic book staple where a super-strong
character throws a buddy at an opponent (preferably
with the buddys consent).
To perform a fast ball, both characters must act on
the lowest initiative turn between the two, and the
throwing character must be strong enough to get the
other character across the distance to the target. The
throwing character makes an Accuracy roll against
Mediocre (+0) opposition to hit the target. On a
success, the thrown character gets a +2 to whatever
follow-up attack he plans to perform. On a success
with style, the attacking character also gets a boost.
The thrown character then makes his attack as normal.
If the throw fails or ties, the players can agree to
succeed at a cost, which should usually translate
into 2-Stress or a Mild Consequence (depending on
whether it was a minor or major cost), as the thrown
character somehow landed wrong from a nearly
botched throw.
Grapples and Entangles

Whether it is in hand-to-hand combat or with a
weapon such as a net or trick grappling line, this is
where you attempt to lock down your opponent and
stop them from taking any action.
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The skills rolled will be determined by the type of

grapple. For hand-to-hand, it will likely be opposing
Fight rolls, or Fight versus Athletics. For a ranged
grapple, itll likely be Accuracy versus Athletics.
Aspects can be invoked.
Despite the skills being used, this is not an Attack
action, but is a Create an Advantage action. You
are going to place an aspect on the target such as
Netted, Tied Up, or Pinned Down. If successful, you
get the normal number of free invocations, plus your
opponent is considered immobile and within your
grasp (or tied up by your net).
How he removes the aspect and breaks free depends
on the type of grapple.
For a hand-to-hand, wrestling type of grapple, the
grapple must be maintained each round, which means
the two combatants automatically make opposed
rolls against each other. If the grappler decides to not
roll for the grapple on subsequent rounds, its broken
and the placed aspect goes away.
Beginning on the round after the grapple is first made
(i.e. the first round where you have to maintain it), if you
win the roll, you can use the Shifts to cause damage to
your target. The trade-off is that if your opponent is still
active the next round, the number of Shifts of damage
you caused to him also act as a bonus to his roll to get
free that round. This represents the fact that you werent
trying as hard to simply immobilize them, and although
you caused some damage (or tried to, as Invulnerability
applies), your overall grip weakened a little.
For a range entanglement, the victim must succeed
at an Overcome action with passive opposition equal
to the number of Shifts the grapple gained on the
initial roll. Like with a wrestling grapple, this cannot
succeed at a cost. Additionally, invocations of the
placed aspect can be used to increase the opposition
by +2 per invocation.
Lifting
To lift an object, check the associated weight on the
benchmark lifting chart for normal strength or superstrength. The weight of the object serves as the
passive opposition to lift it.
Characters with super-strength can automatically lift
any weight on the normal benchmark chart.
Knockback and Throwing

In comic books, super-powered combatants are
always knocking each other into buildings, through
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streets, and generally causing a lot of collateral

damage whenever they fight. Although Daring
Comics handles a special type of collateral damage
later in the book (allowing you to off-set damage by
causing environmental complications), more common
collateral damage should be handled as part of the
narrative. How far does your hero knock the villain
back with that incredible punch, and does he go
through the building or hit the wall and crumble to
a stop? For the most part, that should be handled
as part of the narrative of a super-powered fight. The
GM can even use such instances as springboards to
a new scene where the heroes have to save innocent
civilians trapped in the rubble or stop a ruptured gas
main from exploding.
Sometimes, though your hero might specifically
go for a knockback, or attempt to throw an object
or person with purpose. For those instances, use
the following rules.
Knockback: When you decided to purposefully
knock an opponent back, you forego doing damage in
exchange for getting your opponent out of your face.
There are two measurements you use for knockback,
one for normal strength and one for super-strength.
For normal strength, each Shift of damage you would
have done instead translates into feet of knockback.
So, if you achieved 3-Shifts on your attack roll, you
instead knock your opponent back three feet.
For super-strength, the formula is the same, except
you send your opponent flying back a number of
zones equal to your Shift.
If your attack normally has a Weapon Rating
associated with it, you automatically do the Weapon
Rating in damage and cannot reduce it for additional
knockback without the appropriate special effect.
Throwing: Throwing is similar to knockback, but
requires a roll of its own. Look at the benchmark lifting
chart that applies to your strength level (normal or
super-strength). The weight of the object determines
the difficulty to lift it and throw it. Assuming you made
the roll to lift the object, you can then throw the object
one zone for every Shift gained on the lifting roll for
normal strength, and one zone for each Shift achieved
on the roll for super-strength.
Character super-strength throwing a weight from the
normal benchmark chart is more of a narrative flavor
as to how far they can throw it. Its not uncommon for
immensely strong characters in comic books to be able
to throw lighter objects dozens of miles, or even into orbit.
Being knocked into objects: When you knockback

or throw a person into another object, compare their
Physique to the Material Strength of the object. If the
characters Physique is higher, they burst through and
continue moving. If the Material Strength is higher,
they suffer an immediate Create an Advantage by the
object. Because this is directly against the character,
they can Defend normally.
Using an object for a sweep maneuver gets you the

normal +2 bonus if you actually invoke it (but you
dont have to), and uses the normal rules for attacking
multiple foes. You make the attack roll and split your
result against your opponents, which they defend
against normally. If you attempt to cause knockback
with such an improvised melee weapon, you knock
your target back an additional zone.
The skill rating of the action is the difference between

the characters Physique and the Material Strength,
and the Defend roll is made with Physique.
When throwing a heavy object at your opponent,

make an Attack roll as normal. Take the general
weight category of the object from the Super-Strength
benchmark table, and divide it in half (round up). That
is the Weapon Rating of the object. The objects
Weapon Rating does not stack with any you get from
Super-Strength or other powers, but you do get to
use the greater Weapon Rating of the two.
If the character has Invulnerability, add the

power levels of Invulnerability to Physique when
determining if the character breaks through the
object. Invulnerability also provides a bonus to the
Defend roll against the Create an Advantage action
from a sudden stop as normal. The bonus is equal to
half the Invulnerability, rounded up.
If the Create an Advantage action succeeded, an
aspect or boost is placed on the character such as
Winded, Dazed, or Staggered. Any free invokes are
not used by the object, but are used by the characters
opponent(s). The character can remove the aspect
by rolling Physique against opposition equal to the
number of Shifts the action received.
Scenery as Weapons
Super-beings are always using the scenery as an
impromptu weapon in comic books. Whenever a
character tries to use the scenery (a tree, streetlight,
car, dumpster, and so forth) as a weapon, as long as
the character can lift the object, they can use it to
strike their opponent.
Using scenery is not a be-all of a conflict. In comic
books, the landscape is typically used to provide a
conceit for how a super-strong character can attack
multiple foes at once (such as with a street light) or
how a melee-based character can make an attack at
a range (throwing an armored truck at someone).
Normally, such objects are considered situation
aspects. You could be fighting on a City Street or
be standing next to a Gas Tanker. Invoking such
aspects provides the narrative for using the street
light to sweep your opponents, or two throw the gas
tanker across the zone to attack someone.
You can also spend a fate point to immediately add
such an aspect as a story element, but you dont get
any free invocations of it.
As already stated, the idea is that using the scenery

primarily provides a narrative element for attacking
several targets at once or using your super-strength
at range. It also provides the GM a chance to place
more situation aspects in place (see: Detonating
Situation Aspects) as a result of your move. Scenery
isnt meant to be the end-all of super-powered
combats, and rarely serve as such in comic books.
Otherwise, the average super-hero setting would be
an apocalyptic wasteland in a short time, as every
super-strength adversary suddenly used all available
cars and buildings as weapons.
Special Situations
Just as combat tactics spice up any battle between
super-opponents, situations often arise in which
further complicate matters for the characters. An
opponent might be hiding behind cover, using the
cover of darkness to try to get away, or causing
something highly flammable to explode and endanger
innocent lives.
The special situation rules explain how to use the
more common types of complications in your own
super-powered conflicts.
Blind/Deaf
Being rendered blind is different than being placed in
absolute darkness with something like the Darkness
Control power. While the power provides a situation
aspects that can be invoked for a bonus or reroll,
typically characters can also act and react normally.
That is especially true if they have something like
thermal vision or Darkvision.
175
When you render a character blind, however, and

place a Blinded aspect on them (which they can
Defend against normally), you are literally shutting
down their vision. Not only can you invoke or compel
the aspect against them, but they are also incapable
of any actions that require sight until they remove the
aspect. Removing the aspect requires a roll against
passive opposition equal to the number of Shifts you
received when placing the aspect. Being blinded
renders all vision useless, including super-powers
such as thermal vision or Darkvision.
Characters temporarily made deaf suffer the same basic
effect, except it completely shuts down their hearing
and prevents any hearing related actions, including
non-telepathic communication with teammates.
Breaking Things
To break an object, either through a melee attack or
with a ranged attack, roll against opposition equal
to the material strength of the object. The material
strength is reduced by 1 per Weapon Rating and
Shift. Once the material strength is reduced below
zero, the object is either destroyed or has a hole
large enough to pass through, which ever makes
sense for the object.
Unlike a normal Overcome action, the character
cannot succeed at a cost if the Physique roll fails, and
only reduces the Material Strength by the Weapon
Rating on a tie.
Cold and Heat

Once temperatures reach below 40 degrees
Fahrenheit or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit,
characters run the risk of suffering ill-effects from
the heat or cold.
Every hour a character is exposed to extreme cold
or heat without adequate protective measures
(such as insulated clothing or plenty of water), he
is suffers an attack from a skill rating of Fair (+2)
against his Physique, and any damage suffered
cause Consequences, not Stress. Invulnerability
is reduced by half (round up) for purposes of
negating the damage.
Cover
Taking advantage of cover simply means invoking
an appropriate situation aspect such as Large
Crates or Corner of a Wall and for +2 (or a reroll)
to the Defend action.
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Crushing Damage
Crushing damage means you are buried under a
heavy load, or perhaps even at the bottom of the
ocean, and are suffering an attack every round from
the sheer weight.
Before you get buried, a situation aspect must
be placed on your character. Typically, this will be
something along the lines of Crushing Depths or
Toppled Wall. You can Defend against the aspect
normally. If you succeed, youve managed to avoid
being buried.
If you fail, then the fun begins (though likely not for
you). The GM will assign an Attack skill rating based
on the general weight pressing down on you, ranging
from Mediocre (+0) for several hundred pounds to a
small car, to Fantastic (+6) for several dozen tons. Bear
in mind that the Attack skill used will also depend on
whether or not the character in invulnerable, superstrong, and so forth. For example, against a normal
street vigilante with costume-armor, a Fantastic (+6)
weight might represent the equivalent of a ton or two
of rubble, whereas for an invulnerable super-strong
character, that same attack skill might represent
several hundred tons pressing down on top of him.
To break free, the buried character must succeed at a
Physique roll against passive opposition equal to the
Attack skill rating. This roll can succeed at a cost as
with an Overcome action. Since this is meant to be
abstract, blasting through the rubble (or whatever it is)
works under the same Overcome action. Whatever is
burying the character isnt treated the same as trying
to burst through a standing wall or other obstacle.
For oceanic pressures, treat the Overcome action as
the same: physique versus the attack skill rating as
passive opposition. The difference is in the narrative
the character is attempting to swim against the
pressure to the surface instead of pushing the rubble
aside enough to crawl out.
Likewise, each round whatever is burying the character
makes an attack roll, defended by Physique.
Darkness
Darkness typically does not attack, but is instead
treated as a situation aspect which can be invoked
for a +2 to an action, particularly Attack or Defend
actions, representing your character taking advantage
of the conditions.
Detonating Situation
Aspects
Some situation aspects imply destructibility or finite
use, such as Gas Tanker or Ruptured Gas Main.
They can have an effect on the narrative but not
necessarily a mechanical effect.
When a player detonates a situation aspect, he
declares his intent to do so and explains how hes
using that aspect such that no one will be able to use
it again. If he can do this to everyones satisfaction,
he gets to invoke the aspect
once for free.
infected with the disease or poison and starts

taking damage. Although damage typically causes
Stress, particularly lethal diseases and poisons
bypass Stress and cause direct Consequences.
A disease might attack a victim once a day, whereas
a poison might attack every hour or sooner. The
time between each attack on the victims body is
determined by the GM, but for specifically charactercrafted diseases and poisons, options found in
the Gadgets and Inventions chapter allow you to
customize your biological weapons.
Once hes done invoking the

aspect, it goes away and
the situation changes for the
worse or at least the more
dangerous. Detonating an
aspect creates a new situation
aspect, which represents how
the old aspect was destroyed,
and how it wrecked things.
That last bit is the key it has
to wreck things, to complicate
things. Its not fair to detonate
that Gas Tanker and replace
it with something boring like
Hole in the Street. Replace
it with something big and
flashy and destructive, like
The Nearby Buildings are on
Fire! or Buildings Collapsing
Toward Civilians!. The new
situation aspect must always
make things more tenuous for
everyone, and should always
be an imminent threat.
Disease and
Poison
When creating a disease or
poison, assign it a strength,
generally from Mediocre (+0)
to Fantastic (+6). The rating
serves as the Attack skill,
which is usually opposed by
the victims Physique.
To infect someone, roll
the Attack rating against
the targets Physique. If
successful, the target is
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Drowning/Suffocation
Fire
A character can hold their breath for a number of

minutes equal to their Physique +1. After that time,
unless the character can draw breath and get oxygen
back into the bloodstream, they suffer an attack
against their Physique beginning at Mediocre (+0)
attack skill and increasing one step on the ladder each
round. Invulnerability does not negate the damage.
Typically, fire is treated as a situation aspect, such

as Burning Room or the ever popular On Fire.
Characters can invoke the aspect and typically use it
for bonuses to attack or defense rolls as a means of
complicating things for their opponents.
Explosions
An explosion typically covers an entire zone or more,
and attacks everyone within the zone. Its basically
considered an Area Effect attack, and does not split
its attack result between targets. Each and every
target defends against the full attack roll.
Falling
Its common in role-playing games to have hard rules
for taking damage from falling. Lets face it, though,
in comic books the heroes or villains going SPLAT! is
hardly a staple of the story. Well, unless a character
falling to their death is meant as part of the story, in
which case it is either a significant scene, or the actual
landing happens off-camera and whether or not the
character is really dead, or will dramatically return
at a later time, is always the question. Otherwise,
the heroes tend to snag that grappling line onto
something at the last minute and take some Stress
or a Minor Consequence, or a flying ally swoops in to
catch them at the last second.
Generally speaking, falling heroes should be given
a solid chance of avoiding the sudden stop of a
hard, life ending landing whether through the
trusty Swingline or a flying teammate. Sure, make it
dramatic, but always remember that Daring Comics is
here to emulate comic books, not simulate reality. So,
our apologies to all those comic book forum posters
who like to bring the laws of science into comic book
debates the two do not mix in this game.
However, if you really want to deal with numbers for
falling, use the following guidelines. Assign the fall
an attack skill ranging from Average (+1)) for falling
from a tall building, to Fantastic (+6) for falling from
a very high flying aircraft. The fall makes an attack at
the time of landing against the characters Physique,
and Invulnerability negates damage as normal. If you
really want to make falling dangerous, also give the
fall a Weapon Rating equal to the skill rating, allowing
it to deal damage in excess of any Shifts achieved on
the attack roll.
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Fire can also be a living, raging thing that can not

only attack the heroes, but also use its skill for
Create an Advantage actions such as Thick Smoke
or Weakening Floor.
A fires attack skill should be rated from Mediocre (+0)
for simple bonfires all the way to Fantastic (+6) for a
raging inferno.
If you want the fire to take damage, give it two Stress
boxes and then treat its skill rating as though it were
Physique, granting it additional Stress and a Mild
Consequence slot as appropriate.
General Environmental
Hazards
Although we gave fire its own entry, basically any
environmental hazard could be handled the same way,
whether it is a corrosive atmosphere, poisonous gas
pumped through the ventilation system, or cryogenic
freezing temperatures. Assign it a skill rating from
Mediocre (+0) to Fantastic (+6), which it can use to
both attack the heroes and create situation aspects.
Same as with fire, if you want the hazard to be
able to take damage, give it two Stress boxes
and then treat its skill rating as though it were
Physique, granting it additional Stress and a Mild
Consequence slot as appropriate.
Gravity
When dealing with scenes taking place in different
gravity than Earths, use the following guidelines when
it comes time to drive the point home in the narrative.
For low gravity environments, create a situation aspect
representing the lower gravity. The aspect stays in place
as long as the characters remain in the scene, and the
normal free invocations for creating an aspect apply.
For high gravity, assign the gravity a rating. Generally,
look at it as being 1/2 again earths gravity equals
one step on the ladder. So, an environment that is
1.5x Earths gravity has a rating of Average (+1), a
place with twice Earths gravity has a rating of Fair
(+2), possessing 2.5x Earths gravity is Good (+3)
rating, and so forth.
Whenever character attempt a physical action,

including Attack and Defend, passive opposition or
any opposed rolls against them suffers a bonus equal
to the gravity rating.
Starvation, Thirst,
and Lack of Sleep
Like with falling, it isnt a common thing in super-hero
comics for the characters to be debilitated by hunger,
thirst, or lack of sleep. On the occasions where it can
come into play and affect the character, give them a
Minor Consequence representing whatever problem
it causes. Like with any Consequence, the character
can invoke it to their benefit if they can find a creative
reason to do so, but generally speaking it is going to
be invoked or compelled against them.
The Consequence stays until they do something to
eliminate the condition in other words: eat, drink
enough fluid, or get some rest.
Whether or not the Regeneration power heals the
Consequence is really up to your group. In some
instances, the power might be able to keep the
character going longer, but more than likely even it
is going to fail to help as the characters body finally
goes into shutdown mode.
Underwater Movement
Unless a character possess an ability that lets
him swim naturally (such as the Aquatic power),
a character cannot move more than one zone for
free when swimming.
Challenges
A single overcome action is sufficient to deal with a
straightforward goal or obstaclethe hero needs to
pick this lock, disarm this bomb, sift out a vital piece
of information, and so on. Its also useful when the
details of how something gets done arent important
or worth spending an intense amount of time on, when
what you need to know is whether the character can
get something done without any setbacks or costs.
Sometimes, however, things get complicated. Its
not enough to pick the lock, because you also have
to hold off the hordes of attacking zombies and set
up the magical ward thats going to keep pursuers
off your back. Its not enough to disarm the bomb,
because you also have to land the crashing blimp and
keep the unconscious scientist youre rescuing from
getting hurt in said landing.
A challenge is a series of overcome actions that you

use to resolve an especially complicated or dynamic
situation. Each overcome action uses a different skill
to deal with one task or part of the situation, and you
take the individual results as a whole to figure out
how the situation resolves.
GMs, when youre trying to figure out if its
appropriate to call for a challenge, ask yourself the
following questions:
Is each separate task something that can
generate tension and drama independently of
the other tasks? If all the tasks are really part
of the same overall goal, like detaching the
detonator, stopping the timer, and disposing
of the explosive material when youre disarming
a bomb, then that should be one overcome
action, where you use those details to explain
what happened if the roll goes wrong.
Does the situation require different skills to
deal with? Holding off the zombies (Fight) while
pushing down a barricade (Physique) and fixing
your broken wagon (Crafts) so that you can get
away would be a good instance for a challenge.
To set up a challenge, simply identify the individual
tasks or goals that make up the situation, and treat
each one as a separate overcome roll. (Sometimes,
only a certain sequence for the rolls will make sense
to you; thats okay too.) Depending on the situation,
one character may be required to make several rolls,
or multiple characters may be able to participate.
Several days after the Necroleans invaded
earth with their necrotic biotechnology and
turned a majority of the population into zombie
like shock troops, Barrage is working with what
remains of the military to direct a counterattack against one of the aliens nearby, newly
constructed, supply depots. Meanwhile, she
discovers an alien bomb planted near the
survivor outpost, and has to disarm it while
keeping the citizens calm.
Mike decides that several skills are going to
come into play. First will be Leadership, to
effectively direct the remaining, ragtag military
forces. Next will be Technology to successfully
disarm the bomb. And finally will be Rapport,
which Keirdwyn will use to see if Barrage can
keep the survivors from going into a rout.
To conduct a challenge, call for each overcome action
in whichever order seems most interesting, but dont
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decide anything about how the situation turns out

until after youve collected all the resultsyou want
to have the freedom to sequence the events of each
roll in the order that makes the most sense and is the
most entertaining. Players, if you get a boost on one
of your rolls, feel free to use it on another roll in the
challenge, provided you can justify it.
GMs, after the rolls have been made, youll consider
the successes, failures, and costs of each action as
you interpret how the scene proceeds. It could be that
the results lead you into another challenge, a contest,
or even a conflict.
Mike sets the opposition for the Overcome
actions at Good (+3). He figures the
remaining military is no longer all that
coordinated, and arent possessing the best
morale, since pretty much the entire planet,
including their brothers-in-arms, have been
turned into zombies.
Keirdwyn picks up the dice, and rolls against
her Fair (+2) Leadership first. She gets a
phenomenal +1 on the dice, for a Good (+3) total.
She ties with the opposition, so succeeds but
at a minor cost. She and Mike discuss it briefly,
and decide that Necrolean reinforcements will
be arriving within five minutes.
Next, she rolls her Superb (+5) Technology to
disarm the alien bomb. This time she rolls +3
on the dice, for Legendary (+8) result. Thats a
success with style, so she not only disarms the
bomb, but gets a boost. She calls the boost
Better Understanding of Necrolean Tech.
Finally, she rolls her Fair (+2) Rapport, rolls 1
on the dice, and gets an Average (+1) result.
Thats a failure, but Mike lets her succeed
at a minor cost. She stops the citizens of
panicking, but unfortunately, the reverse of
what she wanted happens. Inspired, they race
off with makeshift weapons to help the military
unit and the newly constructed supply depot.
That means that the citizens will be on location
when the Necrolean forces arrive, putting a
massive amount of lives in danger.
But thats for the next scene to handle.
If you have any boosts that went unused in the challenge,
feel free to keep them for the rest of this scene or
whatever scene youre transitioning to, if the events of
the challenge connect directly to the next scene.
Advantages in a Challenge
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You can try to create an advantage during a challenge,

for yourself or to help someone else out. Creating an
advantage doesnt count towards completing one of
the challenge goals, but failing the roll could create a
cost or problem that negatively impacts one of the other
goals. Be careful using this tactic; advantages can help
complete tasks more effectively and create momentum,
but trying to create them is not without risk.
Attacks in a Challenge
Because youre always up against passive opposition
in a challenge, youll never use the attack action. If
youre in a situation where it seems reasonable to roll
an attack, you should start setting up for a conflict.
Contests
Whenever two or more characters have mutually
exclusive goals, but they arent trying to harm each
other directly, theyre in a contest. Arm wrestling
matches, races or other sports competitions, and
public debates are all good examples of contests.
GMs, answer the following questions when youre
setting up a contest:
What are the sides? Is every character in the
contest in it for herself, or are there groups of
people opposing other groups? If you have
multiple characters on a side, they roll together
using the Teamwork rules.
What environment does the contest take place
in? Are there any significant or notable features
of that environment you want to define as
situation aspects?
How are the participants opposing each other?
Are they rolling against each other directly
(like in a straight sprint race or a poker match),
or are they trying to overcome something in
the environment (like an obstacle course or a
panel of judges)?
What skills are appropriate for this contest?
Does everyone have to roll the same one, or
do several apply?
Barrage is attempting to disarm another
Necrolean bioweapon, this one capable of
unleashing a lethal nerve toxin over an entire
area that is deadly to humans. The weapon
was launched from space, crashed into the
center of the survivor encampment, and is
embedded in the street.
The bioweapon is controlled by a nearby

Necromind the Necrolean cast of psychics
with power over the form of nanotechnology
the alien race uses. The Necromind is on a
hovering sled type vehicle that is surrounded
by a forcefield the heroine has been unable to
penetrate. Time is running out, so she decides
to instead focus on shutting down the weapon
before its fully activated.
Mike decides that Barrage will use her
Technology skill, while the Necromind uses
its Mental skill to facilitate the telepathic
powering-up and activation of the weapon.
Now you can get started.
A contest proceeds in a series of exchanges. In an
exchange, every participant gets to make one skill
roll to determine how well they do in that leg of the
contest. This is basically an overcome action.
Players, when you make a contest roll, compare your
result to everyone elses.
If you got the highest result, you win the
exchange. If youre rolling directly against the
other participants, then that means you got
the highest rank on the ladder out of everyone.
If youre all rolling against something in the
environment, it means you got the most shifts
out of everyone.
Winning the exchange means you score a victory
(which you can just represent with a tally mark or
check mark on scratch paper) and describe how you
take the lead.
If you succeed with style and no one else does,
then you get to mark two victories.
If theres a tie for the highest result, no one
gets a victory, and an unexpected twist occurs.
This could mean several things depending on
the situation: the terrain or environment shifts
somehow, the parameters of the contest change,
or an unanticipated variable shows up and
affects all the participants. GMs, you should
create a new situation aspect reflecting this
change.
The first participant to achieve three victories
wins the contest.
Barrage has Technology at Superb (+5) and this
particular Necromind has Mental at Great (+4).
In the first exchange, Barrage rolls well and

gets a total of Epic (+7). The Necromind only
gets a Fantastic (+6) total, so Barrage wins.
Keirdwyn marks down one tally. She describes
The next exchange, Barrage doesnt do as
well. She rolls 3 on the dice for a Fair (+2
total). The Necromind rolls a zero, for a Superb
(+5) total. He gets a success with style, and
Mike marks two tallies for the victory. He
narrates how a low vibration comes from the
weapon, that increases in intensity as the
things begins powering-up.
The next exchange, Barrage gets a zero for
a Superb (+5) total, and the Necromind ties.
Neither wins, but Mike narrates how a small
unit of Necrolean sky-sleds have arrived,
and the soldiers within the encampment are
engaging them in battle. He places an aspect
on the scene called Distracting Battle.
The fourth exchange sees the Necromind
roll a +2 for a total of Fantastic (+6). Barrage
also rolls a +2, for an Epic (+7) total. She
doesnt want just a single tally, and wants
to end this confrontation now. Keirdwyn
spends a fate point to invoke the new scene
aspect Distracting Battle, explaining how the
Necrominds are tapped into the Necrolean
soldiers as well, as the ensuing battle is
causing it to lose overall focus.
Mike agrees, and Keirdwyn adds +2 to her
roll, giving her a Monstrous (+9) result, and a
success with style. Keirdwyn marks two more
tallies for her victory, granting her three total,
and ending the conflict.
Mike goes on to narrate how she disarms the
weapon, and the small Necrolean force is
sent into retreat.
Creating Advantages
in a Contest
During any exchange, you can try to create an
advantage before you make your contest roll. If youre
targeting another participant, they get to defend
normally. If someone can interfere with your attempt,
they provide active opposition as normal.
Doing this carries an additional riskfailing to create
an advantage means you forfeit your contest roll,
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which means theres no way you can make progress

in the current exchange. If you at least tie, you get to
make your contest roll normally.
If youre providing a bonus via the Teamwork rules,
failing to create an advantage means the lead character
doesnt benefit from your help this exchange.
The survivor encampment is littered with
broken vehicles, dumpsters, and metal debris
of all types.
Keirdwyn wants Barrage to use the Magnetic
Control power of her gauntlets to toss a storm
of small, metallic objects at the Necrominds
sky-sled to cause a distraction.
She rolls her Technology of Superb (+5) to
activate her power (since she has a stunt that
allows her to use her Technology skill in place
of the Power skill when using her device based
powers). The Necromind, since its defense is
all about remaining focused, will use its Great
(+4) Will to defend.
Keirdwyn rolls a +2 for an Epic (+7) result.
The Necromind rolls a 1 for a Good (+3)
result. Keirdwyn succeeds in placing a
Distracted aspect on the alien invader, and
can invoke it twice for free.
Since she at least got a tie (and she actually
did a lot better than that), she also gets to
make her normal contest roll.
Attacks in a Contest
If someone tries to attack in a contest, then theyre
doing direct harm, and it ceases to be a contest. You
should immediately stop what youre doing and start
setting up for a conflict instead.
Chases
Speed Rating
Before we get into the two methods of dealing
with chases, lets talk about Speed Rating. Daring
Comics divides different levels of speed into their
own rating, which helps emulate the different levels
of the Flight or Super-Speed powers, as well as
the difference between a character on foot and a
character in a speeding car.
Whenever a chase is taking place between different
Speed Ratings, count the number of steps between
them. That is the bonus added to any relevant rolls
made by the greater of the Speed Ratings.
A vigilante on foot is attempting to race across
the rooftops to pursue a speeding car through
the city streets. The vigilante has a Speed
Rating 1, while the car has a Speed Rating 3.
Whenever the driver of the car makes a roll
during the chase, he receives +2 bonus.
Speed Rating 1: Foot
Speed Rating 2: Bike/Horse
Speed Rating 3: Car/Motorcycle
Speed Rating 4: Helicopter, Small Plane
Speed Rating 5: Jet, Escape Velocity
Standard Chases
This method is the quickest and easiest way of
handling a chase, and still maintains a dramatic
element. Treat the chase as a Contest, with the side
to first gain three victories having either caught the
person they were chasing, or lost their pursuer.
In-Depth Cases
This method takes a little longer to play, and also
maintains a lot of dramatic tension.
Although not always part of a comic book story,

chases nonetheless have their place in super-hero
comic books. Whether its two speedsters, a vigilante
chasing a villain across rooftops, or a swinging hero
trying to stop a get-away vehicle, chases can play a
dramatic roll in any Daring Comics Issue.
To start, set up a stress track for the chase. This is

your timer for the scene. The fleeing party is trying to
empty the stress track, while the pursuers are trying
to fill it. The length of the stress track determines how
long the scene lasts, and where you start on the track
sets the difficulty of the escape.
There are two ways to handle chases: the standard

method, which treats them as a Contest, and the indepth method, which uses a Chase Stress track.
You first need to decide how long you want your

chase scene to go on. If you are looking for an
average-length scene, a stress track of 10 should
be the baseline. If you want to go less than 10, you
should probably make the chase a regular contest.
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If you want the chase to be longer or more involved,

add more stress. A 14-stress chase scene is a major
event in the session, and an 18 or 20 stress scene
could be the main focus of a whole session of play.
Setting how many stress boxes are already checked
off determines how close the pursuers are to catching
the fleeing group. Usually you are going to want the
stress to start right in the middle. You can make it
harder for the fleeing party to escape by setting the
stress closer to the top of the range, like 7 stress on
a 10-stress track. By the same token, you can make
the escape easier by setting the starting stress at a
lower level. Its probably best to avoid this, unless the
player characters are the pursuing party. If the chase
is less complicated, just use a challenge or contest
instead of the chase stress track.
If you succeed, you move the stress track one

check in your direction.
If you succeed with style, you get to move the
stress track two checks in your direction, or one
check and you gain a boost that you can use
against your opponent on your next roll.
Each side takes turns making moves and rolling against
their skills, and make sure you apply any Speed factor
bonus if the relative speeds can apply to a given roll.
Keep the tension up with good descriptions, going
into detail about each move and its results. When
one side or the other has either eliminated or filled the
stress track, the chase is over. Theres either been a
capture (or the chase now becomes a Conflict as the
two sides fight for it), or an escape.
Once youve got your stress track set, determine

who gets to go first. This can be a judgment call,
or it can be based on which individual character on
each side has the highest relevant skill. Each side
will take turns, so who starts has a slight advantage,
but thats about it.
In turn, each side makes skill rolls to attempt to
increase or diminish the stress track. This is an
Overcome action, and it can be opposed by either a
passive defense or, more likely, by an active opposition
from the other side in the chase. These actions can
be all sorts of things, and its most exciting if they
are varied and inventive. Vehicle rolls for vehicular
chases should describe how the character is dodging
through barriers or oncoming traffic, for example, and
Athletics for foot chases would be about how the
characters climb up on to the rooftops and parkour
across dangerous hazards. A variety of other skills
can come into play for different sorts of actions. You
can use Deceive to fake out your opponent, Fight
to knock someone down, Notice to spot hazards
and avoid them while allowing your opponent to get
entangled, Physique to knock obstacles into your
opponents way. If a player comes up with a good
action for just about any skill, you should allow it.
When making your roll, the outcome determines
what happens to the chase stress track.
If you fail, your opponent has the choice to either
create a boost that works against you, or to move
the stress track one check in their direction.
If you tie, you may choose to move the stress
track one check in your direction, but if you do
so, your opponent gains a +1 on their next roll.
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Chapter 13: Running Daring Comics

What You Do
If youre the gamemaster, then your job is a little different
from everyone elses. This chapter is going to give you a
bunch of tools to make that job easier during play.
We already talked a little bit about the GMs job in
Chapter One: The Basics, but lets take a more
detailed look at your unique responsibilities.
Start and End Scenes

One of your primary responsibilities during the game
is to decide definitively when a scene begins and
ends. This might not seem like that big a deal, but it
is, because it means that youre the person primarily
responsible for the pacing of each game session.
If you start scenes too early, it takes a long time to
get to the main action. If you dont end them soon
enough, then they drag on and it takes you a long
time to get anything done.
The players will sometimes help you with this, if
theyre keen on getting to the next bit of action, but
sometimes theyll naturally be inclined to spend too
much time bantering in character or focusing on
minutiae. When that happens, its your job to step in
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like a good movie editor and say, I think weve pretty

much milked this scene for all its worth. What do we
want to do next?
Emulation, Not Simulation.

Daring Comics is designed to emulate
the comic book genre, not simulate reality.
Although some comic book titles, or newdirection storylines in already established
titles, have attempted to scientifically explain
some of the feats our favorite super-heroes
perform (and indeed, there has even been
a book or two on the topic), dont get too
hampered by a sense of realism. This is
super-heroes: grand adventures by larger
than human beings. Focus on the characters,
the drama, and the action.
Thats not to say that you cant run games
where realism is a key ingredient like in some
select comic books. Its your game, and
should be handled however you see fit. Just
remember that by design, Daring Comics
doesnt worry about that type of realism, so
you might have to make rules adjustments.
Play the World and the NPCs

As the gamemaster, its your job to decide how
everyone and everything else in the world responds
to what the heroes do, as well as what their
environment is like. If a player botches a roll, youre
the one who gets to decide the consequences.
When an NPC attempts to capture a heros friend,
youre the one who gets to decide how they go
about it. When the heroes stroll up to a suspicious
group on the streets, you get to decide what kind of
day the group is having, what kind of personalities
they have, and whether they are friendly, suspicious,
nervous, or even aggressive. You even determine
the weather when the PCs are out on patrol.
Fortunately, you dont have to do this in a vacuum.
You have a lot of tools to help you decide what would
be appropriate. The process we outline in series
creation should provide you with a lot of context
about the game youre running, whether thats in the
form of aspects like current and impending issues,
specific locations that you might visit, or NPCs with
strong agendas that you can use.
The heroes aspects also help you decide how to

make the world respond to them. As stated in the
Chapter Two: Aspects and Fate Points, the best
aspects have a double edge to them. You have a lot
of power to exploit that double edge by using eventbased compels. That way, you kill two birds with one
stone you add detail and surprise to your game
world, but you also keep the heroes at the center of
the story youre telling.
This facet of your job also means that when you have
NPCs in a scene, you speak for and make decisions
for them like the players do for their heroes. You
decide when theyre taking an action that requires
dice, and you follow the same rules the players do
for determining how that turns out. Your NPCs are
going to be a little different than the heroes, however,
depending on how important they are to the story.
Let The Players Help You

You dont have to shoulder the whole
burden of making up world details yourself.
Remember, the more collaborative you get,
the more emotional investment the players
are going to have in the result, because they
shared in its creation.
If a character has an aspect that connects
them to someone or something in the world,
make that player your resident expert on
whatever the aspect refers to. So if someone
has Worked for the Terenza Family, poll that
player for information whenever the Terenza
family comes up in conversation. Some players
will defer back to you, and thats fine, but its
important that you keep making the offer so
as to foster a collaborative atmosphere.
Also, one of the main uses of the create an
advantage action is precisely to give players
a way to add details to the world through their
characters. Use that to your advantage when
you draw a blank or simply want to delegate
more control. One good way to do this during
play is to answer the players question with a
question, if they ask for information.
Judge the Use of the Rules

Its also your job to make most of the moment-tomoment decisions about whats legit and whats
not regarding the rules. Most often, youre going to
decide when something in the game deserves a roll,
185
what type of action that is (overcome, attack, etc.)

and how difficult that roll is. In conflicts, this can get a
little more complicated, like determining if a situation
aspect should force someone to make an overcome
action, or deciding whether or not a player can justify
a particular advantage theyre trying to create.
You also judge the appropriateness of any invocations
or compels that come up during play, like we talked
about in the Chapter Two: Aspects and Fate Points,
and make sure that everyone at the table is clear on
whats going on. With invocations, this is pretty easy
as long as the player can explain why the aspect is
relevant, youre good to go. With compels, it can get a
little more complicated, because you need to articulate
precisely what complication the player is agreeing to.
We provide some more tips on judging the use of
rules below.
Youre The Chairman,

Not God
Approach your position as arbiter of the rules
by thinking of yourself as first among equals
in a committee, rather than as an absolute
authority. If theres a disagreement on the use
of the rules, try encouraging a brief discussion
and let everyone talk freely, rather than making
a unilateral decision. A lot of times, youll find
that the group is self-policing. If someone tries
to throw out a compel thats a real stretch, its
just as likely that another player will bring it up
before you do.
Your job is really to have the last word
on any rules-related subject, rather than to
dictate from your chair. Keep that in mind.
Create Story Arcs (and

Nearly Everything Else)
Finally, youre responsible for making all of the stuff
that the PCs encounter and react to in the game. That
not only includes NPCs with skills and aspects, but it
also includes the aspects on scenes, environments,
and objects, as well as the dilemmas and challenges
that make up a story of Daring Comics. You provide the
prompts that give your group a reason to play this game
to begin with what problems they face, what issues
they have to resolve, whom theyre opposing, and what
theyll have to go through in order to win the day.
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What To Do During
Series Creation
As outlined in Series Creation, inventing or deciding
on a setting is often a collaborative effort between
you and your players. In that sense, the best thing
you can do as GM during the game-creation process
is to be open to new ideas and be generous with your
own, just like everyone else. Play off of and expand
upon the suggestions that the others offer up. Your
players will be more invested in the game if they feel
like theyve had a hand in building it.
What To Do During Play

Now that youve gone through the process of
series creation with the players, lets take a detailed
look at how to approach your various jobs during a
session of play.
The Golden Rule

Before we go into specifics, heres our general
Golden Rule of Daring Comics: Decide what youre
trying to accomplish first, then consult the rules to
help you do it.
This might seem like common sense, but we call it
out because the order is important. In other words,
dont look at the rules as a straitjacket or a hard
limit on an action. Instead, use them as a variety of
potential tools to model whatever youre trying to do.
Your intent, whatever it is, always takes precedence
over the mechanics.
Most of the time, the very definition of an action makes
this easy. Any time your intent is to harm someone,
you know thats an attack. Any time youre trying to
avoid harm, you know thats a defense.
But sometimes, youre going to get into situations
where its not immediately clear what type of action
is the most appropriate. As a GM, dont respond to
these situations by forbidding the action. Instead, try
to nail down a specific intent, in order to point more
clearly to one (or more) of the basic game actions.
Silver Rule
The corollary to the Golden Rule is as follows:
Never let the rules get in the way of what
makes narrative sense. If you or the players
narrate something in the game and it makes
sense to apply a certain rule outside of the
normal circumstances where you would do
so, go ahead and do it.
The most common example of this has to
do with consequences. The rules say that
by default, a consequence is something a
player chooses to take after getting hit by an
attack in a conflict.
But say youre in a scene where a player
decides that, as part of trying to intimidate
his way past someone, his hero is going to
punch through a brick wall with a bare fist.
Everyone likes the idea and thinks its cool,
so no ones interested in what happens if the
hero fails the roll. However, everyone agrees
that it also makes sense that the hero would
injure his hand in the process (which is part
of what makes it intimidating).
Its totally fine to assign a mild consequence
of Brick Mortar in My Hand in that case,
because it fits with the narration, even though
theres no conflict and nothing technically
attacked the hero.
As with the Golden Rule, make sure
everyones on the same page before you do
stuff like this.
When to Roll Dice

Roll the dice when succeeding or failing at the
action could each contribute something interesting
to the game.
This is pretty easy to figure out in regards to success,
most of the time. The PCs overcome a significant
obstacle, win a conflict, or succeed at a goal, which
creates fodder for the next thing. With failure, however,
its a little more difficult, because its easy to look at
failure in strictly negative terms. You fail, you lose, you
dont get what you want. If theres nothing to build on
after that failure, play can grind to a halt in a hurry.
The worst, worst thing you can do is have a failed roll that
means nothing happensno new knowledge, no new
course of action to take, and no change in the situation.

That is totally boring, and it discourages players from
investing in failure something you absolutely want
them to do, given how important compels and the
concession mechanic are. Do not do this.
If you cant imagine an interesting outcome from
both results, then dont call for that roll. If failure is
the uninteresting option, just give the PCs what they
want and call for a roll later, when you can think of
an interesting failure. If success is the boring option,
then see if you can turn your idea for failure into a
compel instead, using that moment as an opportunity
to funnel fate points to the players.
Situation Aspects
Are Your Friend
When youre trying to figure out if theres
a good reason to ask the PCs to make
an overcome roll, look at the aspects on
your scene. If the existence of the aspect
suggests some trouble or problem for the
PC, call for an overcome roll. If not, and you
cant think of an interesting consequence
for failure, dont bother.
For example, if a character is trying to
sprint quickly across a room, and you have
a situation aspect like Cluttered Floors, it
makes sense to ask for a roll before they
can move. If there is no such aspect, just
let them make the move and get on to
something more interesting.
Making Failure Awesome

If the PCs fail a roll in the game and youre not
sure how to make that interesting, try one of the
following ideas.
Blame the Circumstances

The PCs are super-heroes. They arent supposed
to look like fools on a regular or even semi-regular
basis. Sometimes, all it takes is the right description
to make failure into something dynamic. Instead of
narrating that the PC just messed things up, blame
the failure on something that the PC couldnt have
prevented. Theres a secondary mechanism on that
lock that initially looked simple (Thief), or the contact
broke his promise to show up on time (Contacts), or
a sudden seismic shift throws off your run (Athletics).
187
That way, the PCs still look awesome, even though

they dont get what they want. More importantly,
shifting the blame to the circumstances gives you an
opportunity to suggest a new course of action, which
allows the failure to create forward momentum in
your story. The contact didnt make his appointment?
Where is he? Who was following him to the
rendezvous? The ancient tome of the Cult of Nebecar
is withered? Maybe someone can restore it. That way,
you dont spend time dwelling on the failure and can
move on to something new.
Succeed at a Cost
You can also offer to give the PCs what they want, but at
a price in this case, the failed roll means they werent
able to achieve their goals without consequence.
A minor cost should complicate the PCs life. Like the
above suggestion, this focuses on using failure as a
means to change up the situation a bit, rather than just
negating whatever the PC wanted. Some suggestions:
Foreshadow some imminent peril. You hack
into the corporate records for VanCorp, but
the back door tracing program immediately
logs your location.
Introduce a new wrinkle. The informant tells
you that the guy who typically knows where
to find the villains hideout is the same guy
you put in prison four months ago. The same
guy who managed to escape from his cell and
disappear last week.
Present the player with a tough choice. You
hold the collapsing ceiling long enough for two
of the others to get through safely, but not the
rest. Whos it going to be?
Place an aspect on the PC or the scene.
Somehow you manage to land on your feet, but
with a Twisted Ankle as a souvenir.
Give an NPC a Boost. Jonathan Barludi, you
know, the millionaire businessman and also the
secretive head of his own crime family, surprises
you a bit by agreeing to your offer, but he does
so with a wry smile that makes you uneasy.
Clearly, Barludi Has A Plan.
Check one of the PCs stress boxes. Careful
with this one its only a real cost if the PCs
likely to take more hits in the same scene.
If you dont think thats going to happen, go
with another choice.
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A serious cost does more than complicate the PCs

life or promise something worse to come it takes a
serious and possibly irrevocable toll, right now.
One way you can do this is by taking a minor cost
to the next level. Instead of suspecting that a guard
heard them open the vault, a few guards burst in the
room, weapons drawn. Instead of being merely cut off
from their allies by a collapsing ceiling, one or more
of those allies ends up buried in the debris. Instead
of merely having to face an awkward situation with
Berthold, hes still angry and out for their blood.
Other options could include:
Reinforce the opposition. You might clear one
of an NPCs stress boxes, improve one of their
skills by one step for the scene, or give them a
new aspect with a free invocation.
Bring in new opposition or a new obstacle, such
as additional enemies or a situation aspect that
worsens the situation.
Delay success. The task at hand will take much
longer than expected.
Give the PC a consequence that follows logically
from the circumstances mild if they have one
available, moderate if they dont.
If youre stuck for just how serious a serious cost
should be, you may want to use the margin of failure
as a gauge. For instance, if the player failed their
Stealth roll by 1 or 2, the PCs outnumber the guards.
Not a tough fight, but a fight nonetheless. If they
failed it by 3 to 5, its an even match, one thats likely
to use up resources like fate points or consequences.
But if they failed by 6 or more, theyre outnumbered
and in real danger.
Let the Player Do the Work

You can also kick the question back to the players,
and let them decide what the context of their own
failure is. This is a great move to foster a collaborative
spirit, and some players will be surprisingly eager
to hose their own characters in order to further the
story, especially if it means they can keep control of
their own portrayal.
Its also a great thing to do if you just plain cant
think of anything.
Okay, so, you failed that Technology roll by 2 to
break into the G.O.D. Lab building. So youre working
the extremely advanced security lock, and something
goes wrong. What is it?
You missed that Notice roll. What dont you notice

as youre sneaking up to the genetic research
laboratory doors
Its better if the question is specific, like those
examples. Just saying: Okay, tell me how you fail!
can easily stall things by putting a player on the spot
unnecessarily. You want to let the player do the work,
not make them.
Setting Difficulties
When youre setting passive opposition for an action,
keep in mind the difficulty break points that we
mentioned in Actions and Outcomes anything thats
two or more steps above the PCs skill is probably
going to cost them fate points, and anything thats
two or more below the PCs skill will be a breeze.
Rather than modeling the world or going for
realism, try setting difficulties according to dramatic
necessity (remember, Daring Comics is about comic
book adventure emulation), things should generally
be more challenging when the stakes are high and
less challenging when they arent.
Functionally, this is the same as setting a consistent
difficulty and assessing a circumstantial penalty to the
roll to reflect rushing the task or some other unfavorable
condition. But psychologically, the difference between
a high difficulty and a lower difficulty with a penalty
is vast and shouldnt be underestimated. A player
facing a higher difficulty will often feel like theyre being
properly challenged, while that same player facing a
large penalty, likely chosen at the GMs discretion, will
often feel discouraged by it.
Setting a difficulty low is mainly about showcasing a
being a super-hero, letting them shine in a particular
moment and reminding us why this character is in the
spotlight. You can also set lower difficulties during
periods when you know the PCs are low on fate points,
giving them the chance to take compels in order to
get more. You should also set lower difficulties on
anything thats in the way of the PCs getting to the
main action of a sceneyou dont want them to get
stalled at the evil overlords drawbridge if the point of
the scene is confronting the evil overlord!
Finally, some actions should take lower difficulties by
default, especially if no ones contesting or resisting
them. Unopposed efforts to create advantages in a
conflict should never be harder than Average (+1) or
Fair (+2), and neither should attempts to put an aspect
on an object or location. Remember that opposition
doesnt have to always take the form of an NPC
getting in the wayif the evil mastermind has hidden

the evidence in his lair and away from prying eyes, you
might consider that a form of opposition, even though
the mastermind might not be physically present.
If the PCs are overflowing in fate points, or its a crucial
moment in the story when someones life is on the
line, or the fate of many is at stake, or theyre finally
going against foes that theyve been building up to for
a scenario or two, feel free to raise difficulties across
the board. You should also raise difficulties to indicate
when a particular opponent is extremely prepared for
the PCs, or to reflect situations that arent ideal if
the PCs are not prepared, or dont have the right
tools for the job, or are in a time crunch, et cetera.
Setting the difficulty right at the PCs skill level is, as
you might imagine, sort of a middle ground between
these two extremes. Do this when you want some
tension without turning things up to 11, or when the
odds are slightly in the PCs favor but you want a
tangible element of risk.
Justify Your Choices

Your only other constraint in setting difficulties goes
back to the Silver Rule above you need to make
sure that your choices make sense in the context of
the narrative youre creating. If the only reason for
setting a difficulty at Superb (+5) is because its two
higher than the PCs skill level and you want to bleed
his fate points off, you strain credibility.
In that sense, you can look at setting difficulties as
being a lot like invoking aspectsthere needs to be
a good reason that backs up your choice in the story.
Its totally okay if that justification is something youre
about to make up, rather than something you know
beforehand. Situation aspects are a great tool for
this if the players already know that the warehouse
theyre in is Pitch Black and Littered with Old
Debris, its easy to justify why its so hard to notice
the thugs hiding within. No one will bat an eye at you
looking at the relevant situation aspects and giving a
+2 to the opposition for each one, because it mirrors
the invoke bonus they get.
Either way, dont skip the justification part either let
the players know what it is immediately when you tell
them the difficulty, or shrug mysteriously and then let
them find out soon thereafter (as in, the time it takes
to think it up).
You might also try using out of place difficulties
to indicate the presence of unanswered questions
during the game for some odd reason, the apparent
189
rundown building youre trying to break into to seek

evidence has an Epic (+7) lock on the door. What could
be so important in there that you dont know about?
Dealing with
Extraordinary Success
Sometimes, a PC is going to roll far in excess of the
difficulty, getting a lot of shifts on the roll. Some of the
basic actions already have a built-in effect for rolling
really well, like hitting harder on a good attack roll.
For others, its not so clear. Whats happens when you
get a lot of shifts on a Notice roll or an Investigate roll?
You want to make sure those results have some kind
of meaning and reflect how competent the PCs are.
Here are a few choice options.
Go crazy with the narration: It might seem
superfluous, but its important to celebrate a
great roll with a suitable narration of over the
top success. This is a great time to take the
suggestions above for Making Failure Awesome
and applying them here. Let the success affect
something else, in addition to what the PC was
going for, and bring the player into the process
of selling it by prompting them to make up cool
details. So you got five shifts on that Contacts
roll tell me, where does Nicky No Nose usually
go when hes keeping low from the police, and
what do you say when you find him there?
Add an aspect: You can express additional
effects of a good roll by placing an aspect
on the PC or on the scene, essentially letting
them create an advantage for free. So your
Contacts roll to contact your friends in the police
department succeeded with four shifts. Theyre
going to arrive in the immediate area for backup,
but are going to let you call the shots.
Reducing time: If its important to get something
done fast, then you can use extra shifts to
decrease the time that it takes to do an action.
Dealing with Time

We recognize two kinds of time in Daring Comics:
game time and story time.
Game Time
Game time is how we organize play in terms of the
real players sitting at the table. Each unit of game time
corresponds to a certain amount of real time. They are:
190
Exchange: The amount of time it takes all

participants in a conflict to take a turn, which
includes doing an action and responding to any
action taken against them. This usually doesnt
take longer than a few minutes.
Scene: The amount of time it takes to resolve a
conflict, deal with a single prominent situation, or
accomplish a goal. Scenes vary in length, from a
minute or two if its just a quick description and
some dialogue, to a half hour or more in the case
of a major set-piece battle against a main NPC.
Issue: The sum total of all the scenes you run
through in a single sitting. An issue ends when
you and your friends pack it up for the night and
go home. For most people, each issue is about
2 to 4 hours. A minor milestone usually occurs
after an issue.
Story arc: One or more issues, but usually no
more than four. Most of the time, the issues that
make up a story arc will definitively resolve some
kind of problem or dilemma presented by the GM,
or wrap up a storyline. A significant milestone
usually occurs at the end of a story arc.
Volume: Several story-arcs, usually between
two and four. A story arc typically culminates in
an event that brings great change to the game
world, building up from the resolution of the
problems. You can look at volume like most
graphic novel collections in any of your favorite
comic book titles. Youre not always guaranteed
to have a recognizable arc like a published
volume (the nature of role-playing games being
different than the clean, precise structure of
writing a comic book storyline). Its possible to
bounce from situation to situation without having
a defined plot structure. Major milestones usually
happen at the end of a Volume.
Series: The sum of all the time youve sat at
a table playing this particular game of Daring
Comics every issue and volume. Technically,
theres no upper limit to how long a series can
be. Some groups go for years; others get to the
end of a volume and then stop. We presume that
a typical group will go for a few volumes before
having a grand finale and moving on to another
game. You might set up your game as a kind of
mega-event series where theres one massive
conflict that everything else is a smaller part of,
or it might simply consist of the smaller individual
stories that you tell in your scenarios.
Story Time
Story time is what we call the time as the characters
perceive it, from the perspective of being in the story:
the amount of time it takes for them to accomplish
any of the stuff you and the players say that they
do during play. Most of the time, youll do this as
an afterthought, mentioning it in passing (Okay,
so it takes you an hour to fly to the country of Pax
Wyvernia) or mentioning it as part of a skill roll (Cool,
so after 20 minutes of sweeping the room, you find
the following).
Under most circumstances, story time has no actual
relation to real time. For example, a combat exchange
might take a few minutes to play out in real time, but it
only covers what happens in the first few seconds of a
conflict. Likewise, you can cover long swaths of time
simply by saying that it happens (The contact takes
five hours to get back to you. Are you doing anything
while you wait, or can we just skip to the meeting?).
When used this way, its really just a convenience,
a narrative device in order to add verisimilitude and
some consistency to your story.
Sometimes, though, you can use story time in creative
ways to create tension and surprise during the game.
Deadline Pressure
Nothing creates tension like a good deadline. In
television and film, this is called the ticking time
bomb method (though it doesnt always indicate
a literal bomb). The heroes only have a certain
number of minutes to disable the death trap, or a
certain amount of time to get across the city before
something blows up, or a certain amount of time to
deliver the ransom before loved ones get aced by
the bad guys, and so on.
Some of the games default actions are made to take
advantage of deadline pressure, such as challenges
or contests. They each limit the number of rolls that
a player can make before something happens, for
better or for worse.
You dont have to limit yourself to using just those
two, though. If you set a hard deadline for something
bad in one of your Issues, you can start keeping track
of the amount of time everything takes, and use it
as a way to keep the pressure on. Remember, nearly
everything takes time. Even a basic attempt to create
an advantage using Empathy requires you to sit with
the target for a little while, and if every action the PCs
are taking is chipping away at a clock, it may be time
they dont have.
Of course, itd be no fun if there was nothing they could

do to improve a deadline situation, and itd be no fun
if the crawl toward the deadline was predictable.
Using Story Time in Success and Failure

Therefore, when youre using story time to
create deadline pressure, feel free to incorporate
unpredictable jumps in time when the PCs do really
well or really badly on a roll.
Taking extra time is a great way to make failure
awesome as per the guidelines above, especially
using the Success at a Cost option. Give the players
exactly what they want, but at the cost of taking more
time than they were trying to spend, thus risking that
their efforts will come too late. Or it could be the thing
that pushes a deadline over the edge maybe things
arent completely hopeless, but now there are extra
problems to deal with.
Likewise, reward extreme success by reducing the
amount of time it takes to do something while the
PCs are under deadline. That laboratory research
(Knowledge) that was going to take a day gets
wrapped up in a few hours. While looking for a
certain underworld weapons dealer (Contacts) to
get a line on the network so you can eventually
shut it down, you manage to find him that same
day rather than in a week.
If time is a factor, you should also be able to use
invocations and compels to manipulate time, to make
things easier or more complicated respectively.
How Much Time Is A Shift Worth?

Just like with any other roll, the number of shifts
you get (or the amount you fail by) should serve
as a barometer for just how severe the time jump
is. So, how do you decide just how much to
award or penalize?
It really depends on how much time you decide the
initial action is going to take. We usually express
time in two parts: a specific or abstract measure of
quantity, then a unit of time, such as a few days,
twenty seconds, three weeks, and so on.
We recommend you measure in the abstract and
express all the game actions as half, one, a few,
or several of a given unit of time. So if you imagine
something taking six hours, think of it as several
hours. If you imagine something taking twenty
minutes, you can either call that several minutes or
round up to half an hour, whichever feels closest.
191
This gives you a starting point for moving up and

down. Each shift is worth one jump from wherever
your starting point is. So if your starting point is
several hours, and it benefits the PCs to speed
things up, then it works like this: one shift jumps the
time down to a few hours, two shifts down to one
hour, and three shifts down to a half hour.
Going past either end of the spectrum moves you
down to several increments of the next unit of time
or up to half the next unit of time, depending on
which direction youre going. So four shifts on the
aforementioned roll might jump you from several
hours to several minutes. Failing by one,
conversely, might jump you from several hours
to half a day.
This allows you to quickly deal with time jumps
no matter where youre starting from, whether
the actions you have in mind are going to take
moments or generations
Story Time and the Scope of an Action

Its easy to think of most actions that a PC takes being
limited to anything that the character can directly
affect, and working on a person-to-person scope.
And most of the time, thats going to be precisely the
case after all, Daring Comics is about individual
super-heroes facing dramatic adversity.
However, consider for a moment what might do with
all the time in the world to accomplish a particular
action. Imagine a month-long Rapport roll for a
negotiation with an Atlantean diplomatic to avoid
a war between the underwater kingdom and the
surface world, where the PC gets to talk with every
delegate in detail, rather than just focusing on a single
conference. Imagine a weeks-long investigation,
charting out every detail of a targets personal routine.
By allowing each roll to represent a long period of
time, you can zoom out to handle events that reach
far beyond the individual player character making
the roll, and affect the setting in a big way. That
month-long Rapport roll might result in charting a
new political course between the two nations. That
Investigate roll might be the start of bringing in one of
the most notorious criminals in the setting, one thats
been hounding the PCs for a whole campaign.
This is a great way to make long breaks in story time
more interactive, rather than bogging the game down
with long narration or trying to retroactively come up
with what happened during that time. If the PCs have
long-term goals they want to accomplish, see if you
192
can find a way to turn that into a contest, challenge, or

conflict that covers the whole break, or just have them
make a single skill roll to see if something unexpected
happens. If they happen to fail the roll, whatever you
invent as a consequence will make good material for
the game going forward.
Remember that if you do this with a conflict or a
contest, that you scale each exchange appropriately.
If a conflict is taking place over the course of a year,
then each exchange might be a month or two, and
everyone should describe their actions and the results
of their actions in that context.
Zoom In, Zoom Out

Theres no rule that says youre required to keep
your rolls consistent in terms of story time. One trick
you can do is use the result of one roll to segue into
another roll that takes place over a much smaller
period in time, or vice versa. This is a great way
to open a new scene, contest, or conflict, or just
introduce a change of pace.
Time Increments
Sometimes, especially with particular powers, time
becomes more of a factor and specific Shifts on a roll
to use a power might state that the amount of time
it takes to perform a task moves up or down in Time
Increments. For those situations, the time increments
are listed below.
As GM, youre also free to use the time increments as
a baseline for any story time that you might need to
keep track of, especially to help you out if you need
to ad hoc something and want to apply some extra
Shifts the player earned to it.
Time Increments
Instant
An Exchange
Half a minute
A Minute
A Few Minutes
15 Minutes
Half an hour
An Hour
A few hours
An Afternoon
A day
A few days
A week
A few weeks
A month
A few months
A season
Half a year
A year
A few years
A Decade
A lifetime or more
Judging the Use of

Skills and Stunts
By now, you pretty much have all the advice
you need to deal with skill and stunt use the
individual descriptions in Skills and Stunts, the
action descriptions and examples in Challenges,
Contests, and Conflicts, and the advice immediately
above about setting difficulties and how to handle
success and failure.
The only other major problem youll have to worry
about is when you run into an edge case with a skill.
A player wants to use it for an action that seems like a

bit of a stretch, or a situation comes up in your game
where it makes sense to use a skill for something
thats not normally a part of its description.
When you run into this, talk it over with the group
and see what everyone thinks. Its going to end up
one of three ways:
Its too much of a stretch. Consider creating a new skill.
Its not a stretch, and anyone can use the skill that
way from now on under the same conditions.
It wouldnt be a stretch if the character had a stunt
that allowed it.
If you decide that a certain use of a skill needs a stunt,
allow the player in question the chance to spend a
fate point to temporarily borrow that stunt for the
current roll if he or she wants. Then, if they want to
keep the bonus, they have to spend a point of refresh
to buy it (presuming they have any available), or wait
for a major milestone to pick it up.
Aspects and Details:

Discovery vs. Creation
From the players point of view, theres almost no
way to know what youve made up beforehand and
what youre inventing in the moment, especially if
youre the kind of GM who doesnt display or consult
any notes at the table. Thus, when a player tries to
discover something you havent made up yet, you
can treat it as if they were making a new aspect or
story detail. If they succeed, they find what theyre
looking for. If they fail, you can use what they were
looking for as inspiration to help you come up with
the real information.
If youre really comfortable with improvising, this
means that you can come to the table with very little
prepared beforehand, and let the players reactions
and questions build everything for you. You may need
to ask some prompting questions first, to narrow
down the scope of what information the players
looking for, but after that, the skys the limit.
Affecting Multiple Targets

Invariably, if you play Daring Comics long enough,
someones going to try to affect multiple people
at once in a conflict without the Area Effect ability.
Explosions are a staple of physical conflict, but are
by no means the only example consider tear gas or
some kind of high-tech stunner. You can extend this
to mental conflict also. For example, you might use
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Things get more complicated

when you want to filter specific
targets, rather than just affect a
whole zone or scene. When that
happens, divide your resulting
total up against every target, who
all get to defend as per normal.
Anyone who fails to defend either
takes stress or gains an aspect,
depending on what you were
trying to do. (Note: If you create
an advantage to put an aspect on
multiple targets, you do get a free
invocation for each one.)
Attacking a whole zone or
everyone in a scene is something
youre going to have to judge by
circumstance, like any other stretch
use of a skill. Depending on the
circumstances of your setting, this
might be a totally normal thing to
do (for example, because everyone
uses grenades and explosives), it
might be impossible, or it might
require a stunt. As long as you can
justify it, you dont need to apply
any special rules: you roll for the
attack, and everyone in the zone
defends as normal. Depending on
the circumstances, you may even
have to defend against your own
roll, if youre in the same zone as
the attack!
Provoke to establish dominance in a room with your

presence, or Rapport to make an inspirational speech
that affects everyone listening.
The easiest way to do this is to create an advantage
on the scene, rather than on a specific target. A GasFilled Room has the potential to affect everyone in it,
and its not too much of a stretch to suggest that the
Inspirational Mood in a room could be contagious.
In this context, the aspect presents an excuse to
call for a skill roll (using the overcome action) from
anyone in the scene who attempts to get past it.
Generally speaking, it wont cause damage, but it
will make things more difficult for those affected.
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Remember, though, the 1-Point

Area Attack special effect
in both the Powers and the
Devices and Gear chapters
takes all the guesswork and ad
hoc ruling off the table.
Compels And
Multiple Targets
Just a quick note: players who want to
compel their way out of a conflict dont get
a free lunch on affecting multiple targets,
whether its one aspect or several that justify
the compel. A player must spend one fate
point for each target they wish to compel.
One fate point compels an individual, period.
Dealing with Aspects

As with skills and stunts, the entire Aspects and Fate
Points chapter is designed to help you judge the use
of aspects in the game. As the GM, you have a very
important job in managing the flow of fate points to
and from the players, giving them opportunities to
spend freely in order to succeed and look awesome,
and bringing in potential complications to help keep
them stocked up on points.
Invocations
Because of that, we recommend that you dont apply
extremely exacting standards when the PC wants to
invoke an aspect. You want them to spend in order
to keep the flow going, and if youre too stringent on
your requirements, its going to discourage them from
that free spending.
On the other hand, feel free to ask for more clarification
if you dont get what a player is implying, in terms of
how the aspect relates to whats happening in play.
Sometimes, what seems obvious to one person isnt
to another, and you shouldnt let the desire to toss fate
points lead to overlooking the narration. If a player is
having a hard time justifying the invocation, ask them to
elaborate on their action more or unpack their thoughts.
You might also have the problem of players who get
lost in the open-ended nature of aspects they dont
invoke because they arent sure if its too much of a
stretch to apply an aspect in a certain way. The more
work you do beforehand making sure that everyones
clear on what an aspect means, the less youll run
into this. To get the player talking about invoking
aspects, always ask them whether or not theyre
satisfied with a skill roll result (So, thats a Great. You
want to leave it at that? Or do you want to be even
more awesome?). Make it clear that invoking an
aspect is almost always an option on any roll, in order
to try and get them talking about the possibilities.
Eventually, once you get a consistent dialogue going,
things should smooth out.
Compels
During the game, you should look for opportunities to
compel the PCs aspects at the following times:
Whenever simply succeeding at a skill roll
would be bland
Whenever any player has one or no fate points
Whenever someone tries to do something, and

you immediately think of some aspect-related
way it could go wrong
Remember that there are essentially two types
of compels in the game: decision-based, where
something complicated occurs as a result of
something a character does; and event-based, where
something complicated occurs simply as a result
of the character being in the wrong situation at the
wrong time.
Of the two, youre going to get the most mileage
out of event-based compelsits already your job to
decide how the world responds to the PCs, so you
have a lot of leeway to bring unfortunate coincidence
into their lives. Most of the time, players are just
going to accept you doing this without any problems
or minimal negotiation.
Decision-based compels are a little trickier. Try to
refrain from suggesting decisions to the players, and
focus on responding to their decisions with potential
complications. Its important that the players retain
their sense of autonomy over what their PCs say and
do, so you dont want to dictate that to them. If the
players are roleplaying their characters according
to their aspects, it shouldnt be hard to connect the
complications you propose to one of them.
During play, youll also need to make clear when
a particular compel is set, meaning that theres
no backing out without paying a fate point. When
players propose their own compels, this wont come
up, because theyre fishing for the point to begin
with. When you propose them, you need to give the
players room to negotiate with you over what the
complication is, before you make a final decision.
Be transparent about this let them know when the
negotiation phase has ended.
Weak Compels
In order for the compel mechanic to be effective, you
have to take care that youre proposing complications
of sufficient dramatic weight. Stay away from
superficial consequences that dont really affect the
character except to provide color for the scene. If
you cant think of an immediate, tangible way that the
complication changes whats going on in the game,
you probably need to turn up the heat. If someone
doesnt go oh crap or give a similar visceral reaction,
you probably need to turn up the heat. Its not good
enough for someone to be angry at the PC they get
angry and theyre willing to do something about it in
front of everyone. Its not good enough for a business
195
partner to cut them off he cuts them off and tells

the rest of his associates to blacklist them.
Also, keep in mind that some players may tend to
offer weak compels when theyre fishing for fate
points, because they dont really want to hose their
character that badly. Feel free to push for something
harder if their initial proposal doesnt actually make
the situation that much more dramatic.
Encouraging the Players to Compel

With five aspects per PC, its prohibitively difficult for
you to take the sole responsibility for compels at the
table, because thats a lot of stuff to remember and
keep track of. You need the players to be invested in
looking for moments to compel their own characters.
Open-ended prompting can go a long way to create
this habit in your players. If you see an opportunity
for a potential compel, instead of proposing it
directly, ask a leading question instead. So, youre
at the political charity function, and the head of
the Terenza crime family is present (hes also a
successful business owner and philanthropist). You
have Worked for the Terenza Crime Family as a
character aspect. Do you think this evening is going
to go smoothly for your character? Let the player
do the work of coming up with the complication and
then pass the fate point along.
Also remind the players that they can compel your
NPCs, if they happen to know one of that NPCs
aspects. Do the same open-ended prompting when
youre about to have an NPC make a decision, and
ask the players to fill in the blanks.
Your main goal should be to enlist the players as
partners in bringing the drama, rather than being
the sole provider.
Creating The Opposition

One of your most important jobs as a GM is creating
the NPCs who will oppose the PCs and try to
keep them from their goals during your scenarios.
The real story comes from what the PCs do when
worthy adversaries stand between them and their
objectives how far theyre willing to go, what price
theyre willing to pay, and how they change as a result
of the experience.
As a GM, you want to shoot for a balancing act
with the opposing NPCs you want the players to
experience tension and uncertainty, but you dont
196
want their defeat to be a foregone conclusion. You

want them to work for it, but you dont want them
to lose hope.
Take Only What You

Need to Survive
First of all, keep in mind that youre never obligated
to give any NPC a full sheet like the ones the PCs
have. Most of the time, youre not going to need
to know that much information, because the NPCs
arent going to be the center of attention like the PCs
are. Its better to focus on writing down exactly what
you need for that NPCs encounter with the PCs,
and then fill in the blanks on the fly (just like PCs
can) if that NPC ends up becoming more important
in the campaign.
The NPC Types

NPCs come in three different flavors: nameless NPCs,
supporting NPCs, and main NPCs.
Nameless NPCs
The majority of the NPCs in your campaign world
are namelesspeople who are so insignificant to
the story that the PCs interactions with them dont
even require them to learn a name. The random
shopkeeper they pass on the street, the archivist at
the library, the third patron from the left at the bar, the
guards at the gate. Their role in the story is temporary
and fleetingthe PCs will probably encounter them
once and never see them again. In fact, most of the
time, youll create them simply out of reflex when you
describe an environment. The downtown center is
busy. Thousands of people move in a congestion
along the sidewalk, and hundreds of cars face even
greater congestion on the street. Overhead, a low
flying news helicopter records the daily bustle.
On their own, nameless NPCs usually arent meant
to provide much of a challenge to the PCs. You use
them like you use a low-difficulty skill roll, mainly as
an opportunity to showcase the PCs competence. In
conflicts, they serve as a distraction or a delay, forcing
the PCs to work a little harder to get what they want.
Action-adventure stories often feature master villains
with an army of minions. These are the minions.
For a nameless NPC, all you really need is two or three
skills based on their role in the scene. Your average
security guard might have Fight and Accuracy, while
your average informant might only have Contacts.
They never get more than one or two aspects,
because they just arent important enough. They only

have one or two stress boxes, if any, to absorb both
physical and mental hits. In other words, theyre no
match for a typical PC.
Nameless NPCs come in three varieties: Average,
Fair, and Good.
Average
Competence: Rank-and-file order-takers,
local conscripts, and the like. When in doubt, a
nameless NPC is Average.
Purpose: Mostly there to make the PCs look
more awesome.
Aspects: One or two.
Skills: One or two Average (+1).
Stress: No stress boxesa one shift hit is
enough to take them out.
Fair
Competence: Trained professionals, like soldiers
and elite guards, or others whose role in the
scene speaks to their experience, such as a
sharp-tongued courtier or talented thief.
Purpose: Drain a few of the players resources
(one or two fate points, stress boxes, possibly a
mild consequence).
Skills: One Fair (+2), and one or two Average
(+1).
Stress: One stress boxa two shift hit is enough
to take them out.
Good
Competence: Tough opposition, especially in
numbers.
Purpose: Drain the players resourcesas Fair,
but more so. Provide a decent stumbling block
(in numbers) on the way to a more significant
encounter.
Skills: One Good (+3), one Fair (+2), and one or
two Average (+1).
Mobs
Whenever possible, identical nameless NPCs like to
form groups, or mobs. Not only does this better ensure
their survival, it reduces the workload on the GM. For
all intents and purposes, you can treat a mob as a
single unit instead of rolling dice individually for each
of three thugs, just roll once for the whole mob.
See the Teamwork section in the previous chapter
to see how mobs can concentrate their efforts to
be more effective.
Hits and Overflow

When a mob takes a hit, Shifts in excess of whats
needed to take out one NPC are applied to the next
NPCs in the mob, one at a time. In this way, its
entirely possible for a PC to take out a mob of four or
five nameless NPCs (or more!) in a single exchange.
When a mob takes enough stress to reduce it to a
single NPC, try to have that orphaned NPC join up
with another mob in the scene, if it makes sense. (If
it doesnt, just have them flee. Nameless NPCs are
good at that.)
Midnight Avenger and Wraith face-off against a
half-dozen thugs from the Terenza crime family
in the middle of an alley way in Liberty Heights.
These thugs are nameless NPCs with Notice
and Fight skills of Average (+1).
Normally Midnight Avengers Fair (+2) Notice
would allow him to act first, but Mike reasons
that the thugs ability to surround the PCs
gives them the drop. In a big group of six, their
Average (+1) Notice is increased by +5 to a
Fantastic (+6).
As they make their assault, Mike splits them
into two mobs of three: one for Midnight
Avenger and one for Wraith. Both attack with
Good (+3) ratings (Average Fight skill with +2
for the helpers), but neither mob hits.
Midnight Avenger goes next. He extends his
fingernails into claws (the Melee Attack power)
and gets a Fantastic (+6) result with Fight
Mikes first thug mob defends with a Good (+3),
so Midnight Avenger deals three shifts to the
mob enough to take All three of them out.
Stress: Two stress boxesa three shift hit is

enough to take them out.
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NPC First,
Name Later
Nameless NPCs dont have to
remain nameless. If the players
decide to get to know that
barkeep or town crier or security
chief or whatever, go ahead
and make a real person out of
thembut that doesnt mean
that you need to make them any
more mechanically complex.
If you want to, of course, go
ahead and promote them to a
supporting NPC. But otherwise,
simply giving that courtier a
name and a motivation doesnt
mean he cant go down in one
punch.
Supporting NPCs
Nameless NPCs as
Obstacles
An even easier way to handle nameless NPCs is simply
to treat them as obstacles: Give a difficulty for the
PC to overcome whatever threat the NPC presents,
and just do it in one roll. You dont even have to write
anything down, just set a difficulty according to the
guidelines in this chapter and Actions and Outcomes,
and assume that the PC gets past on a successful
roll.
If the situation is more complicated than that, make
it a challenge instead. This trick is useful when you
want a group of nameless NPCs more as a feature of
the scene than as individuals.
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Supporting NPCs have proper

names and are a little more
detailed than nameless NPCs,
playing a supporting role in
your Issues (hence the name).
They often display some kind of
strong distinguishing trait that
sets them apart from the crowd,
because of their relationship
to a PC or NPC, a particular
competence or unique ability,
or simply the fact that they
tend to appear in the game a
great deal. Many comic books
feature a lieutenant character
who is the right-hand man of the mastermind; thats
a supporting NPC in game terms. The faces that
you assign to the locations you make during game
creation are supporting NPCs, as are any characters
who are named in one of the PCs aspects.
Supporting NPCs are a great source of interpersonal
drama, because theyre usually the people that the PCs
have a relationship with, such as friends, sidekicks,
family, contacts, and noteworthy opponents. While
they may never be central to resolving the main
dilemma of a scenario, theyre a significant part of
the journey, either because they provide aid, present
a problem, or figure into a subplot.
Supporting NPCs are made much like nameless
NPCs, except they get to have a few more of the
standard character elements. These include a high
concept, a trouble, one or more additional aspects,

one stunt, and the standard two stress tracks with
two boxes each. They should have a handful of skills
(say four or five). If they have a skill that entitles them
to bonus stress boxes, award those as well. They
have one mild consequence and, if you want them
to be especially tough, one moderate consequence.
Skill Levels: A supporting NPCs top skill can
exceed your best PCs by one or two levels,
but only if their role in the game is to provide
serious oppositionsupporting NPCs who are
allied with the PCs should be their rough peers
in skill level. (Another action-adventure trope is
to make the lieutenant character better than
the main villain at combat, contrasting brawn to
the villains brain.)
Concessions: Supporting NPCs should not
fight to the bitter end, given the option. Instead,
have them concede conflicts often, especially
early in a story, and especially if the concession
is something like They get away. Conceding
like this serves a few purposes. For one, it
foreshadows a future, more significant encounter
with the NPC. Because conceding comes with
a reward of one or more fate points, it also
makes them more of a threat the next time they
show up. Whats more, its virtually guaranteed
to pay off for the players in a satisfying way the
next time the NPC makes an appearance. So,
Landon, we meet again! But this time it shall not
go so easily for you.
Finally, it implicitly demonstrates to the players that,
when things are desperate, conceding a conflict
is a viable course of action. A PC concession here
and there can raise the stakes and introduce new
complications organically, both of which make for a
more dramatic, engaging story.
Main NPCs
Main NPCs are the closest youre ever going to get
to playing a PC yourself. They have full character
sheets just like a PC does, with five aspects, a
full distribution of skills, and a selection of stunts.
They are the most significant characters in your
PCs lives, because they represent pivotal forces of
opposition or allies of crucial importance. Because
they have a full spread of aspects, they also offer
the most nuanced options for interaction, and they
have the most options to invoke and be compelled.
Your primary bad guys in a scenario or arc should
always be main NPCs, as should any NPCs who are
the most vital pieces of your stories.
Because they have all the same things on their sheet

as PCs do, main NPCs will require a lot more of your
time and attention than other characters. How you
create one really depends on how much time you
haveif you want, you can go through the whole
character creation process and work out their whole
backstory through phases, leaving only those slots
for guest starring open.
Upgrading NPCs
Of course, if you want, you can also upgrade
one of your current supporting NPCs to
a main using this method. This is great for
when a supporting NPC has suddenly or
gradually becomeusually because of the
playersa major fixture in the story, despite
your original plans for them.
You could also do things more on the fly if you need
to, creating a partial sheet of the aspects you know
for sure, those skills you definitely need them to have,
and any stunts you want. Then fill in the rest as you
go. This is almost like making a supporting NPC,
except you can add to the sheet during play.
Main NPCs will fight to the bitter end if need be,
making the PCs work for every step.
Regarding skill levels, your main NPCs will come in
one of two flavors exact peers of the PCs who grow
with them as the campaign progresses, or superiors
to the PCs who remain static while the PCs grow to
sufficient strength to oppose them. If its the former,
just give them the exact same skill distribution the
PCs currently have. If its the latter, give them enough
skills to go at least two higher than whatever the
current skill cap is for the game.
So, if the PCs are currently capped at Great (+4), your
NPC mastermind should be able to afford a couple of
Fantastic (+6) skills.
Likewise, a particularly significant NPC might have
more than five aspects to highlight their importance
to the story.
Playing The Opposition

Here are some tips for using the opposition characters
you create in play.
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Right-sizing
Remember, you want a balancing act between
obliterating the PCs and letting them walk all over your
opposition (unless its a minion horde, in which case
thats pretty much what theyre there for). Its important
to keep in mind not just the skill levels of the NPCs in
your scenes, but their number and importance.
Right-sizing the opposition is more of an art than a
science, but here are some strategies to help.
Dont outnumber the PCs unless your NPCs
have comparatively lower skills.
If theyre going to team up against one big
opponent, make sure that opponent has a peak
skill two levels higher than whatever the best PC
can bring in that conflict.
Limit yourself to one main NPC per scene, unless
its a big climactic conflict at the end of a story
arc. Remember, supporting NPCs can have skills
as high as you want.
Most of the opposition the PCs encounter
in a session should be nameless NPCs, with
one or two supporting NPCs and main NPCs
along the way.
Nameless and supporting NPCs means shorter
conflicts because they give up or lose sooner;
main NPCs mean longer conflicts.
Creating Advantages
for NPCs
Its easy to fall into the default mode of using the
opposition as a direct means to get in the PCs way,
drawing them into a series of conflict scenes until
someone is defeated.
However, keep in mind that the NPCs can create
advantages just like the PCs can. Feel free to use
opposition characters to create scenes that arent
necessarily about stopping the PCs from achieving
a goal, but scouting out information about them and
stacking up free invocations. Let your bad guys and
the PCs have tea together and then bring out the
Empathy rolls. Or instead of having that fight scene
take place in the dark alley, let your NPCs show up,
gauge the PCs abilities, and then flee.
Likewise, keep in mind that your NPCs have a home
turf advantage in conflicts if the PCs go to them in
order to resolve something. So, when youre setting
up situation aspects, you can pre-load the NPC with
200
some free invocations if its reasonable that theyve

had time to place those aspects. Use this trick in
good faith, thoughtwo or three such aspects is
probably pushing the limit.
Change Venues of Conflict

Your opposition will be way more interesting if they try
to get at the PCs in multiple venues of conflict, rather
than just going for the most direct route. Remember
that there are a lot of ways to get at someone,
and that mental conflict is just as valid as physical
conflict as a means of doing so. If the opposition has
a vastly different skill set than one or more of your
PCs, leverage their strengths and choose a conflict
strategy that gives them the best advantage.
The Fate Fractal

The Fate Fractal is not new to the Fate system, but
it is arguably one of its greatest strengths. The idea
behind it is that anything absolutely anything can
be made into a character. Now that doesnt mean that
you have to give it full aspects, a complete skill column,
and spend points on stunts and super-powers. What
it means is that you can stat anything in the game to
provide dramatic opposition to the players instead of
just giving them a passive opposition to overcome.
Daring Comics already hinted at this in the rules.
For example, in the Special Situations section of
the Comic Book Action chapter, we talked about
fire being given a skill rating between Mediocre (+0)
and Fantastic (+6), and then maybe giving it a couple
of Stress boxes and treating its singular skill like
Physique to see if it received additional boxes.
But you dont have to stop there. As a matter of fact,
you could grant a raging inferno even more!
Ranging Inferno
Aspects: Intense Heat, Extremely Thick Smoke,
Weakening Structure
Skills: Physique (+4), Provoke (+5), Fight (+6)
Stunts: Face the Pain (The fire can consume more
fuel from the burning structure when it starts to get
weakened. Once per scene, the GM may spend a fate
point and remove a check mark from its 1-Stress or
2-Stress box).
Powers: Fire Blast 3
UniStar Industries
Physical Stress: 4 Boxes
Aspects: Vast Political Influence, Cutting Edge

R&D, Global Reach
Mental Stress: Zero boxes

Consequence Slots: 1 Mild, 1 Moderate, 1 Severe
So now that weve built the raging inferno as a
character to oppose the heroes, lets examine what
we gave it.
We gave it three aspects to represent the nature of
the intense fire as well as the weakening building
structure. We have it a high Fight skill since the fire
is huge and everywhere within the structure, and
anyone racing inside of it is up for a real struggle. We
then gave it the Physique skill to represent how hard
it will be to extinguish. Just for the sake of using the
Create an Advantage action to really push the players
by creating situation aspects representing innocent
people in danger, we gave it a decent Provoke skill.
For stunts, we gave it one of the example stunts under
Physique to represent an ability to get damaged, but
at least get a surge once during the scene.
The Blast power represents any explosions that might
happen as things combust. Since we didnt give it the
Accuracy skill, and caused it to default to Mediocre
(+0), were saying the explosions are unlikely to be
very accurate.
We originally gave it 1-Point and 2-Point stress
boxes, and thanks to its Physique skill it also gets a
3-Point and 4-Point box. Thats already saying the fire
will not go down quickly. Its an inferno, though. Its
large, and powerful, and were also giving it all three
consequence slots.
Skills: Fight (+4), Technology (+5), Resources (+6),

Contacts (+7)
Stunts: Big Influence in Politics, Money Talks
Image Stress: 4 Boxes
Holdings Stress: 4 boxes
Consequence Slots: 1 Mild, 1 Moderate, 1 Severe
(plus one extra Mild Consequence slot each for Image
related consequences)
In the second example, we decided to do a quickie
fractal for a world-wide conglomerate with deep
political ties and vast resources. The Fight skill
represents anything from its own private security
force, to perhaps privately owned mercenary units.
Since physical and mental stress tracks didnt really
make sense for a corporation, for this one we decided
to change the stress tracks. We gave it an Image
Stress representing its corporate reputation, and
decided that extra stress boxes or consequence slots
would be granted by the Contacts skill. We also gave
it a Holdings Stress track, representing its corporate
financials and business investments, and modified by
the Resources skill. Both of those change the tempo
of confronting the corporation, and indicate that
pure physical assaults are likely to have little to no
effect. If the heroes are going to oppose such a global
business entity, theyre going to have to find a way to
target the companys reputation and finances.
You dont have to use the existing skills, either. You
can create unique skills for any fractal. Matter of fact,
if you look at the Expanded Super-Teams section
in the Appendix: Turning the Dials, youll see thats
exactly what we did.
The Fate Fractal is a powerful dramatic tool to use
in any Daring Comics series. With it, you can make
characters out of anything. The only limit is your own
imagination.
201
Chapter 14: Telling Stories

the Comic Book Way
By now, you and your group have created the heroes,
established the world they inhabit, and set all the
basic assumptions for the series youre going to
play. Now you have a pile of aspects and NPCs, all
of it brimming with dramatic potential and waiting to
come to life.
What do you do with them?
Its time to get into the real meat of the series: creating
and playing through story arcs the comic book way.
Know Your Heroes

Perhaps the most important element in creating superhero adventures is this: Know your heroes. Study their
character sheets. Note their powers and abilities.
202
Most importantly, understand their concepts. A good

super-hero adventure should feel uniquely suited to
the heroes involved and speak to their powers, their
weaknesses and their concepts. If you have a superhero team consisting of a One Man War on Crime, a
Blind Avenger of the Streets, a Supernatural Spirit of
Vengeance and a Genetically Engineered Super Spy
Defector, then your plot featuring an Earth Controlling
Servant of a Force of Nature seeking cosmic artifacts
on Earth may not be the most suitable story hook
for those guys. Similarly, drug dealers, gun thugs
and police corruption are not the best elements for
an adventure built around cosmic heroes trapped on
earth.
There is nothing inherently wrong with either of the
above plots, but your job is going to be a lot easier if
you are giving your heroes (and their players) hooks

that they can really sink their teeth into. The more you
can personalize a hook, the better. If you want to run
an adventure with police corruption, see if any of your
heroes are connected to the local police force. If there
is a Masked Adventure who has a grudging, respectful
relationship with a police detective, that adds an
additional element to play with: When the Masked
Avenger thwarts a police extortion shakedown,
maybe they are left wondering if their detective pal is
involved, or if they are aware and turning a blind eye.
Maybe the detective comes to them first, knowing
that they are dealing with rampant corruption that
is beyond what one cop can deal with, and so they
need the heroes to help them drag the skeletons out
of the closet. Make sure that approaching alien army
isnt hitting just any planet: Point it at the homeworld
of the Cosmic Sentinel PC in your game, to give them
extra incentive make sure the line is drawn in the sand.
If the adventure feels like any character could have
been dropped in to deal with it, then its probably not
a strong hook anyway.
Once you feel confident that you have a good fit for
your heroes and the plot, you also need to be aware
of the heroes abilities and how it may impact the
adventure. Mutant Psychics are great characters, but
are going to overly complicate your murder mystery
adventure unless you address how their psychic
powers are not unraveling the plot five minutes into
the adventure. This is a double-edged sword, as well,
because you want to challenge your players and their
characters, but you dont want to constantly block
their best powers and abilities, either.
Use all of their traits to guide you in establishing
just how they are most likely to interact with your
adventure and how it speaks to them. During
character creation, your players are giving you
guidance on what kind of adventures appeal to them
by the kinds of characters they are making, so go
with that. Give them what they want. Have vengeful
villains kidnap their old high school buddy. Reveal
their bullying stepbrother as being in league with the
alien invasion threatening to engulf Earth. A little basic
research (and a refresher, even after the game has
been going on for a few sessions) can go a long way
towards keeping the players invested and making the
characters feel like real parts of the universe and not
just ciphers stepping into a role.
Similarly, this helps you avoid putting them in a

situation that they are incredibly ill-equipped to
solve or even participate in (that aquatic adventure
to Atlantis seemed like a great idea at the time, until
the player playing a living fire elemental suddenly felt
kind of left out).
Defining Story Arcs

As mentioned in Chapter 13: Running the Game, a
story arc is a unit of game time usually lasting from
one to four sessions, and made up of a number of
discrete scenes. The end of a story arc should trigger
a significant milestone, allowing your heroes to get
better at what they do.
In a story arc, the heroes are going to face and try
to resolve some kind of big, urgent, open-ended
problem (or problems). The GM will typically open a
story arc by presenting this problem to the players,
with subsequent scenes revolving around what the
heroes do to deal with it, whether thats researching
information, gathering resources, or striking directly
at the problems source.
Along the way, youll also have some NPCs who
are opposed to the heroes goals interfere with their
attempts to solve the problem. These could be your
traditional comic book physical confrontation, or
simply someone with different interests who wants to
negotiate with the heroes in order to get them to deal
with the problem in a different way.
The best story arcs dont have one particular right
ending. Maybe the heroes dont resolve the problem,
or resolve it in such a way that it has bad repercussions.
Maybe they succeed with flying colors. Maybe they
circumvent the problem, or change the situation in
order to minimize the impact of the problem. You
wont know until you play.
Once the problem is resolved (or it can no longer be
resolved), the story arc is over. The following session,
youll start a new story arc, which can either relate
directly to the previous story arc or present a whole
new problem.
This isnt to say that you need to make the adventure

a cake walk for the heroes, not at all. You just need to
make the adventure relevant to the heroes, from the
hooks to the villains to the subplots to the challenges.
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Creating A Story Arc:

Step By Step
You Dont Always Have

To Destroy The World
Find Problems
As you will see from the examples, not all

of our urgent, consequential problems
necessarily involve the fate of the world or even
a large portion of the setting. Interpersonal
problems can have just as much of an impact
on a group of heroes as stopping this weeks
bad guy winning someones respect or
resolving an ongoing dispute between two
characters can just as easily take the focus
for a story arc as whatever grand scheme
your mastermind villain is cooking up.
Ask Story Questions

Establish the Opposition
Set the First Scene
Find Problems
Creating a story arc begins with finding a problem for
the heroes to deal with. A good problem is relevant
to the heroes, cannot be resolved without their
involvement, and cannot be ignored without dire
consequences.
That may seem like a tall order. Fortunately, you
have a great storytelling tool to help you figure out
appropriate problems for your game: aspects.
Your heroes aspects have a lot of story built into
them. Theyre an indication of whats important about
(and to) each character, they indicate what things in
the game world the heroes are connected to, and
they describe the unique facets of each characters
identity.
You also have the aspects that are attached to your
gameall your current and impending story arcs,
location aspects, and any aspects youve put on any
of your campaigns faces. Riffing off of those helps to
reinforce the sense of a consistent, dynamic world,
and keep your games central premise in the forefront
of play.
Because of all these aspects, you already have a ton
of story potential sitting right in front of you now,
you just have to unlock it.
You can look at an aspect-related problem as a very
large-scale kind of event compel. The setup is a little
more work, but the structure is similarhaving an
aspect suggests or implies something problematic
for the PC or multiple heroes, but unlike a compel,
its something they cant easily resolve or deal with in
the moment.
Problems and
Character Aspects
When youre trying to get a problem from a character
aspect, try asking the following questions:
Who might have a problem with the character
because of this aspect?
Does the aspect point to a potential threat to that
character?
Does the aspect describe a connection or
relationship that could cause trouble for the
character?
Does the aspect speak to a backstory element
that could come back to haunt the character?
Does the aspect describe something or someone
important to the character that you can threaten?
Problems and Game Aspects

Problems you get from a games current and
impending story arcs will be a little wider in scope
than character-driven problems, affecting all your
heroes and possibly a significant number of NPCs
as well. Theyre less personal, but that doesnt mean
they have to be less compelling (pardon the pun). Just
as with character aspects, when using series aspects
to create the storys problem, as one or more of the
following questions:
What threats does the story arc present to the
heroes?
Who are the driving forces behind the story arc,
and what messed up thing might they be willing
to do to advance their agenda?
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Who else cares about dealing with the story arc,

and how might their solution be bad for the
heroes?
Whats a good next step for resolving the story
arc, and what makes accomplishing that step
hard?
Put A Face On It
While not all of your story arc problems have
to be directly caused by an NPC who serves
as a master villain for the heroes to take
down, its often easier if they are. At the very
least, you should be able to point directly
to an NPC who benefits a great deal from
the story arc problem not going the way the
heroes want it to go.
Problems and Aspect Pairs

This is where you really start cooking with gas.
You can also create problems from the relationship
between two aspects instead of relying on just one.
That lets you keep things personal, but broaden
the scope of your problem to impact multiple
characters, or thread a particular PCs story into
the story of the game.
Ask yourself:
Do the two aspects put those characters at odds
or suggest a point of tension between them?
Is there a particular kind of problem or trouble
that both would be likely to get into because
of the aspects?
Does one character have a relationship or a
connection that could become problematic
for the other?
Do the aspects point to backstory elements that
can intersect in the present?
Is there a way for one PCs fortune to become
anothers misfortune, because of the aspects?
How Many Problems

Do I Need?
For a single story arc, one or two is sufficient,
trust us. Youll see below that even one
problem can create enough material for two
or three sessions. Dont feel like you have to
engage every PC with every story arc. Never
hesitate to rotate the spotlight around a little
so that they each get some spotlight time,
and then throw in a story arc related story arc
when you want to concentrate on the larger
plot of the game.
Ask Story Questions

Now that you have a really grabby problem, you can
flesh the situation out a little and figure out precisely
what your story arc is intended to resolve in other
words, what are the really grabby questions at the
heart of this problem?
Thats what youll do in this step: create a series of
questions that you want your story arc to answer.
We call these story questions, because the story will
emerge naturally from the process of answering them.
The more story questions you have, the longer your
story arcs going to be. One to three story questions
will probably wrap up in a session. Four to eight might
take you two or even three sessions. More than eight
or nine, and you might have to save some of those
questions for the next story arc, but thats not a bad
thing at all.
We recommend asking story questions as yes/
no questions, in the general format of, Can/Will
(character) accomplish (goal)? You dont have to
follow that phrasing exactly, and you can embellish
on the basic question format in a number of ways,
which well show you in a moment.
Every problem you come up with is going to have one
very obvious story question: Can the heroes resolve
the problem? You do need to know that eventually,
but you dont want to skip straight to that its your
finale for the story arc, after all. Put other questions
before that one to add nuance and complexity to the
story arc and build up to that final question. Figure
out what makes the problem difficult to solve.
To come up with story questions, youre probably
going to have to embellish on the problem that you
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came up with just a bit, and figure out some of the

W-How (who, what, when, where, why, how) details.
Thats also fine, and part of what the process is for.
Too Many Story

Questions
If you end up with a really large number of
story questions (like eight or more), keep
in mind that you dont necessarily have to
answer them all in one story arc. You can bring
up the questions you dont answer, either as
foreshadowing or to set up stuff youre going
to do in the following story arc. In fact, thats
exactly how you make strong arcs: you have
a pile of related story questions, and you take
two or three story arcs to answer them all.
Choosing the Opposition

As a rule, your adventure needs an opposing force.
Sometimes the opposing force is an obvious,
overwhelming evil, sometimes it is an uncaring,
unfeeling force of nature, and sometimes it is actually
another well-meaning presence, such as the police,
the military, or even another super-hero or team. It is
important to note that the opposition is not always the
mastermind. Sometimes the opposition are minions,
henchmen and mercenaries serving a smarter and
more capable villain. Sometimes they are hapless
pawns, being used by the true villain in order to
distract the heroes.
We Meet Again
Odds are, the heroes either have a few villains in their
backstory, or will pick up a few villains pretty quickly.
Super-heroes tend to combat a lot of familiar faces,
no matter what kind of asylum or prison they lock
those villains away in. In fact, the heroes (and their
players) can expect to face off with archenemies again
and again, or they wouldnt be archenemies. When
deciding to use an archenemy in your adventure,
there are a few ways to approach this:
Revenge: If this isnt the first time the hero and
archenemy have crossed paths, whether from
a prior adventure or from an event in the heros
backstory, then the villain could always be
seeking revenge. Perhaps they form a new super
team of bad guy to take on the heroes, especially
if they arent powerful enough to combat the
whole squad instead. The archenemy could
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be sending other villains after the heroes while

waiting in the background. Bigger, dumber, more
powerhouse villains tend to simply rampage in the
streets to draw out their heroic counterparts (like
Marvels Juggernaut and Rhino), while villains like
Sabretooth tend to stalk their adversary directly
and make it very personal.
Fate: Some heroes and villains just seem like their
fates are intertwined. Whether it is fate, or its just
professional courtesy, other heroes tend to miss
the archenemys evil deeds, leaving the heroes to
save the day in repeated clashes. In this case. The
reaction from the villain can range from outrage
(Why must you keep interfering in my plans?!) to
a sense of playful respect (You won this round
but I will find a way to escape prison once more,
and we will dance our dance again!
Regardless of the plan that brings the archenemy into
conflict with the heroes, be wary of the encounters
becoming repetitive. If The Multi-Armed Mad Genius
is robbing a bank AGAIN, it can get tiresome for the
players. Give the villain a new scheme to follow, or
even new tactics. By that third or fourth time the
PCs have fought and defeated the archenemy, any
villain worth their salt will be making preparations
for the heroes and their unique powers and abilities,
absolutely convinced that this time they will
thwart the heroes once and for all. Regardless, when
facing archenemies, the familiarity and ongoing
struggle between the heroes and their foes should
be a central element, whether it is manifesting as
unrelenting hatred or grudging respect.
New Faces
Fighting the same villains all the time is no fun, so
you should mix it up now and then. A few ideas for
introducing new villains for your heroes to fight are
provided below:
Copycat: Some heroes cant shake a villains
legacy, no matter what. Whether the villain is
dead or retired, the heroes find a new villain
has stepped into their shoes, carrying on their
name and brand of evil (and occasionally taking
it to frightening new depths). These villains are
sometimes relatives seeking revenge, but some
copycats are created because a small time crook
happened to find a supervillains hidden cache
and assumed their identity. If the original villain is
around, they may consider that a form of flattery
and team up with the newcomer, but in other
cases, the heroes can find themselves caught in
the middle of a villainous war.
Revenge: The villain created by a heros

negligence is a well-worn trope of super-hero
stories. A heros reckless use of their powers
maybe led to an accident involving a criminal (or
maybe a relatively innocent bystander) who find
themselves transformed in a way that they dont
approve of. These villains tend to be promoted to
recurring villain status pretty quickly, since folks
who become supervillains in the first place arent
prone to forgiveness.
New Dance Card: Sometimes a hero finds
themselves fighting another heros rival.
This can be for any number of reasons, but
common causes include the hero being recently
deceased, the hero being off world (perhaps as
part of a Crisis Crossover, with this being the
player character heroes first sign of a larger
cosmic crisis brewing), or the other hero simply
being busy. Many times, these are one shot
conflicts, but occasionally these clashes turn
incredibly personal and the villain in question
is all too happy to put their new enemy on their
future revenge list.
Forces of Nature
Your opposition doesnt have to be something that
can be talked to or reasoned with. Powerful forces of
nature make for interesting opponents, even though
they lack that human element. In these cases, the
heroes may even face threats that they cant just
punch or blast (or it may be all they can do). Some
applications of Forces of Nature include:
Natural Disasters: Sometimes a natural disaster
is spawned directly from the efforts of another
adversary. An enraged Lord of the Underground
type may trigger a fault line, whether using
innate abilities, super-science, a mystic artifact
or a minion with such powers, and the heroes
have to focus on the destruction, saving lives
and infrastructure before they can hunt the true
villain. The natural disaster may be completely
naturally occurring. After all, hurricanes and
earthquakes do happen, as does flooding and
wildfires. Super-heroes who are explorers first
and face-punchers second may discover a rift in
reality that threatens to consume their dimension
if they dont stop it, which often requires
breaking the laws of physicsagain. In each
of these cases, the focus is on saving lives and
damage control, and the heroes will likely have
to utilize their powers and abilities in new and
unique ways in order to succeed.
Giant Monsters: Monsters as opposition doesnt

always spring to mind when designing super-hero
adventures, but super-hero comics and stories
over the years have had many nods to both 1950s
giant atomic monsters, as well as more traditional
horror. A rampaging Kaiju like Godzilla, played
completely straight, is practically like dealing
with a natural disaster. A giant monster like that
is going to be very difficult to just punch out,
so the heroes will need to focus at least as much
energy on saving lives and diverting damage as
they will in combat. Lovecraftian Elder Gods are
another form of Giant Monster, typically having
even harder to understand motivations than the
common Kaiju.
Invading Forces: A full blown invasion by troops
looking to overwhelm with numbers instead
of fighting a real war are another example of a
Force of Nature in conflict. The Chituari in the
Avengers movie were not a functional military
unit, alien or otherwise, they were wave after
wave of ferocious alien warriors who exhibited no
range of emotion (and even included Big Giant
Monsters to get knocked out). Super-heroes in
a zombie apocalypse (large scale or small scale)
will be similar to this. Hordes of oncoming, braineating beasties who know no fear or hesitation
presents a very different challenge than a superpowered thief out to rob a luxurious penthouse or
a maniacal masked terrorist with designs on ruling
the world. Legions of faceless terrorist mooks
generally do not fall into this category because
a) they tend to be weaker and less capable
than zombies/aliens/robot armies and b) they
tend to have more human motivations and selfpreservation instincts.
Other monsters, such as vampires, mummies,
and werewolves, are often insanely powerful,
but usually have clearer motivations and greater
cunning or intelligence.
Good Friends,
Better Enemies
It is an incredibly common trope in super-hero stories
for the heroes to find themselves battling other heroes
for any number of reasons.
Misunderstanding: This is incredibly common
if one or both of the parties involved tend to be
darker, more monstrous or antiheroes. In
this scenario, one or both sides involved in the
conflict are searching for a villain on the loose
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and believe they have found the villain when

they have actually stumbled across the other
hero(es). The fight usually lasts until one side
says something that clues the other in on why
they are fighting, and the heroes then team up
and go hunting for the villain. Another common
set-up for this scenario involves a villain actively
manipulating the sides into fighting, either by
framing one side or embarrassingly enough
just pointing one group at the other and letting
human nature take its course. How the heroes
react to each other after fighting can vary wildly.
Sometimes they become vitriolic best buds and
sometimes those tempers flare wildly whenever
they come face to face in the future.
Mind Control: Facing a mind controlled hero is
uniquely difficult, in that the non-controlled hero
usually doesnt actually want to hurt the mind
controlled hero, whereas the mind controlled hero
generally has no such qualms. A challenge like this
leaves the heroes on the defensive against their
mind controlled comrade, who may be every bit
as powerful (or even more so) as they are. Bonus
points if they mind controlled hero is capable
of taunting their foe, mentioning a deep seeded
wedge issue between them (such as assumed
position on a team roster, or even a romantic
conflict). Expect the mind controlled hero to
vehemently insist that they are not controlled, but
are showing (their) true self at last! Using mind
controlled heroes can lead to great subplots after
the fact, especially if something happens during
the fight to truly test the friendship.
Opposite Sides of the Line: There are those
occasions in which heroes fight and there is no
mind control, misunderstanding or manipulation
involved. Philosophical divides lead to heroes
coming to blows more often than is probably
healthy, whether it is something as simple as
an obnoxious jerk getting punched out by a
teammate, to profound disagreements in crime
fighting methods placing heroes at odds, to
full blown civil wars over whether or not super
beings have the right to fight crime without
government oversight. These conflicts tend to
have the longest lasting ramifications on the
heroes and their world, as friendships can be
strained or even severed, and public perception
of some or all involved can be drastically
transformed by their actions.
When using hero versus hero conflict in a super-hero
RPG, you also have to consider whether the opposing
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heroes are all NPCs, or if the player character group

is facing a conflict that is coming to blows. Intraparty
conflict with the wrong group of players can destroy a
game, but can be a compelling and interesting session
(or series of sessions, depending on the scope of the
situation) if all of the players involved are capable of
handling the conflict in its intended spirit. As always,
it is best to know your players before you put them in
situations such as this.
Organizational Issues
Whole organizations can provide interesting conflict
for your heroes as well. While there will almost certainly
be one or more distinct personalities at the head of
the organization that the heroes will eventually have
to deal with, the bulk of the conflict is going to be with
numbers of faceless mooks. As noted above, what
separates foot soldiers of organizations from an Alien
Robot Zombie army is the presence of more human
thinking, coordination and tactics, as well as selfpreservation instincts, though there is certain to be
some crossover in the feel of the opposition groups.
Wrong Side of the Law: This scenario puts the
heroes squarely in the crosshairs of one or more
law enforcement agencies, military branches, or
multinational paramilitary organizations named
after weapons and/or defensive implements.
Sometimes this is because the organization in
question is inherently corrupt. This happens a lot
with police departments in crime-ridden cities.
Thats the best scenario for heroes to deal with,
because their opposition are at least bad guys,
even if they still have legal authority. It gets
trickier when the rank and file of an organization
are well-meaning individuals trying to do their
duty, but the leadership has become corrupted.
This places the heroes in the unique position of
having to survive and avoid the enforcement arm
of the organization, while targeting the corrupt
head of the opposition and hopefully exposing
their insidious nature. The most complex
scenario involves the heroes being hunted by
the organization for legitimate reasons, either
because they have been framed for a crime,
or because they have crossed a boundary,
perhaps in pursuit of another villain. In this case,
cutting loose against their opposition is almost
impossible to do and still save face. Murdering
a villain and then killing the cops trying to arrest
you pretty firmly takes you out of hero territory.
Terrorists: Luckily for super-heroes, terrorist
groups in a world of superpowers tend to not
be very subtle or complicated. Whether trying

to overthrow world leaders, acquire alien tech
or eradicate life on Earth, terrorist groups
super heroes face gravitate towards menacing
acronyms (often invoking spiders, snakes and
the like) and colorful uniforms that clearly mark
them all as being members of the same evil
organization. Members of these organizations
tend to have an overreliance on technology,
and are commonly serving supervillains who
care little for their safety. It is not uncommon
for leadership in these groups to change from
time to time, as a new villain wrests control from
the previous leader. Ninja clans also fall into
this category, as they like to attack heroes en
masse and are treated as little more than cannon
fodder by heroes and villains alike. Terrorist
groups tend to have confusing alignments as
well, and heroes are just as likely to find a group
of deranged scientists at war with an ancient
ninja clan as they are to see the two groups in
an (uncomfortable) alliance brokered by their
leadership (at least one of whom has only
recently assumed power). Anti-superhuman hate
groups are also going to fall under this category.
Crime Doesnt Pay: Gangs and organized crime
can also provide a suitable threat for heroes.
Unlike acronym terrorist groups and color coded
ninja clans, their methods and schemes tend to
be more direct and more grounded, with less
emphasis on giant freeze rays and alien artifacts
and more emphasis on racketeering and drug

running. What they lack in tactics and zealotry,
they make up for in ferocity and a sense of loyalty
that a hooded terrorists tend to lack. The big
bosses of crime rings may have super powers,
but even if they dont, they tend to employ at one
or more lieutenants who are either superhuman
or straddling the line between peak human ability
and superhuman ability. It is a common trope for
any crime boss worth their salt to have friends in
high places to make things difficult for any heroes
looking to shut down their operation.
Using organizations like these can be useful in making
the heroes feel like the powerful beings that they are,
given that most of the foes they encounter are going
to be largely outmatched unless they are fielding
either truly overwhelming numbers, or extremely
advanced tech. Battling a whole organization will
have a completely different feel than taking on a
supervillain team, much less a single powerful villain,
even if the organization has a few super-powered
beings on retainer to join in the fight.
Plotting the Course

Super-hero adventures, more so than most, tend to be
more reactive than proactive. Generally a villain has a
plan, they begin to enact that plan, and the super-hero
gets involved. Sometimes, the villain goes hunting
for the hero specifically. Depending on your heroes
and their method of operation, they may be more
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proactive than reactive (Marvels X-Force, in most of its

incarnations, being a prime example of this).
There are few plots that are outright inappropriate for
supers games, given the broad nature of the genre. A
typical supers universe can easily handle any, or all,
of the following (and, depending on how you handle
it, maybe even all of them in the same campaign):
Atlantis invading the mainland in response to
global pollution.
An immortal Nazi gathering the relics of Hitlers
lost occult collection.
A sentient machine seeking to obliterate human
life in order to preserve the planet.
A super-powered bank robbery.
A drug kingpin launching a gang war in the
streets.
A cosmic force of nature venturing to earth in
order to devour the planets energy and sate its
infinite hunger.
The first key towards selecting the plot is to make
sure that it makes sense in the context of the setting.
If it was established three sessions ago that an
international peacekeeping force has placed an
energy field around earth, then be prepared to explain
to your players why an alien ship has suddenly
appeared over New York. Dont have Megalomaniacal
Dictators with Magic Powers robbing the downtown
bank, or a villain that the heroes spent half a dozen
adventures reforming go on a murderous rampage
unless you have amazing reasons to explain these
inconsistencies. If you do happen to run a plot that
the contradicts past adventures, and your players call
you out on it, call an audible: A major villain has been
locked up in a maximum security prison for crimes
against humanity, and there is virtually no chance
that he could have escaped without every hero with
a connection to government and law enforcement
knowing about it? What if its an imposter? Or a
clone? You are playing in a big, wacky, wondrous
sandbox. Dont be afraid to use all the toys.
A Sense of Scale
Be aware of the scope of your plot. If you are running
a gritty, street level game, then a European dictators
quest to free his mothers tortured soul from Hell might
not be an appropriate adventure for your heroes.
Same with mad scientists attempting to use a superscience tractor beam to pull the moon into the Earth,
210
or a rogue AIs plan to overwhelm the planet with

an army of machines. Your team of super-powered,
interdimensional explorers may have bigger fish to
fry than a counterfeit jewelry ring. Revealing that the
leader of that jewelry ring is an insane, cosmic titan
who worships death doesnt prove that the scope is
global or galactic...it just means you have set yourself
up for a very hard sale with your players.
Personal scale adventures are appropriate for
any heroes or villains. A God who has fallen in
love with a mortal woman who is dying of cancer,
and his quests to save her, is a personal scale
adventure, just the same as a gun toting vigilante
who is trying to save his estranged daughter from
a psycho predator before she runs out of time.
Villains for personal scale adventures can be
of any power level or capability, they really just
need the means to threaten the hero (whether
with physical damage or the ability to upend their
lives, by endangering loved ones or perhaps
even having the ability to ruin their reputation or
livelihood) and a reason for doing so.
Street level adventures are generally geared
towards lower powered, unsanctioned masked
vigilantes, martial artists and antiheroes who have
less flashy powers, though some supernatural
characters and lower-end super-powered beings
may find themselves embroiled in street level
plots. These adventures usually only threaten
a neighborhood or two, but can extend to
threatening a whole city. Heroes embroiled in
these missions are apt to run afoul of (and maybe
even work with) the police (whether corrupt or
not), as well as street gangs and organized crime.
Streel level adventures with a supernatural flavor
may involve vampires stalking neighborhoods or
minor demons preying on the weak. Street level
conflict doesnt have to be violent and gritty, it just
isnt likely to have ramifications to throughout the
world, or even the region. One-trick, gimmicky
villains are every bit at home here as drug dealers
and vampires are.
City scale adventures can occupy a similar
space with street level, though the possibility of
wider-spread damage tends to be much higher.
Rampaging muscle men, destructive super
groups, powerful superhuman leaders and their ilk
threaten to eradicate a whole city, or murder large
segments of the population. If mobsters or street
gangs are involved, then they are either fielding
super-powered soldiers or massive numbers,
leading to full-scale, open warfare that can level
buildings and rack up a large body count. To

use a comic book example, Daredevil is typically
trying to protect Hells KitchenBatman is
generally trying to protect Gotham City.
Regional threats endanger more than just a
city. Large segments of the population are at
risk, and it is very likely that either a full team
is required in order to cover the necessary
ground, or fairly strong movement powers (such
a flight, teleportation or super speed). As threats
get larger, the likelihood of other heroes being
called to the action increases, especially if the
player character heroes are in danger of being
overwhelmed. The villains behind these threats
are either naturally powerful, or have access to
destructive weaponry. Failing to stop a regional
scale threat will dramatically alter the area, such
as when Mongul destroyed Coast City in the
Reign of the Supermen arc.
Global scale threats endanger the entire world
(not surprisingly). Whether these are full blown
invasions, or mass mind control plots, these
conflicts go far beyond the borders of a single
nation and typically require considerable
resources in order to cover the necessary ground
to end the villains schemes. Property damage
the likes of which disaster films are made of
tend to be the order of the day, and the entire
world will be irrevocably altered if the heroes
fail (and maybe if they succeed). Team-ups with
other heroes are extremely common, due to the
cataclysmic nature of hazards on this scale. It is
not uncommon for the heroes to be approached
by one of their villains, extending an olive
branch in order to prevent the mastermind of
the scheme from succeeding, especially if there
is a chance of a large body count. This doesnt
necessarily mean the villain has turned over a
new leaf, just that they have a vested interest in
stopping the oppositions plan. Once the threat
of imminent danger has passed, the villain is very
likely to go back to their own nefarious schemes
and cross paths with the heroes later or seize
control of whatever terrible force the opposition
was bringing to bear and turn it on the heroes.
Cosmic scale threats can endanger anything
from the galaxy to the universe to the multiverse
to reality itself. The heroes are almost certainly
going to require assistance, though whether that
manifests itself in the form of a grand coalition
of heroes, or in the aid of a cosmic entity looking
out for the well-being of the universe (and there
is nothing keeping both from happening), the

heroes are rarely expected to counter these
threats on their own. After all, thwarting the
opposition in a Cosmic scale threat almost
always requires some combination of space
travel and dimensional travel, and time travel
can even prove to be a necessity here. At least
one villain is almost guaranteed to offer their
assistance, but the likelihood of betrayal is even
higher. When cosmic entities are involved in
events, they often had indecipherable motives
and it can make telling the good guys from the
bad guys maddeningly difficult, which makes
teaming with an enemy who has clearer motives
a much more appealing idea. For a change of
pace, you may split the heroes into groups with
other, NPC heroes, and allow the players to take
control of those NPCs to experience playing a
different character for a change of pace.
Dont be afraid to play around with the tropes and
expectations. If you are running a gritty, street level
game set in a standard super-hero universe, you
can show the fallout of larger scale events, affecting
the ground level, something Marvel Comics has done
a nice job of in the last eight years or so. If demons are
ripping through reality, your street level vigilantes may
have to team up against a lone demon that slipped
away from the main conflict.
Remember that, no matter the power level of your
heroes, not every event or conflict has to be world
shaking or earth shattering in order to be entertaining
to your players and relevant to your heroes. Quite the
opposite, in fact: Too many repeated global or cosmic
threats, and it can become exhausting for everyone
involved, as event fatigue sets in. It can even have
the interesting side effect of making your heroes lose
sight of why they are heroes, when crisis after crisis
makes them forget about the reasons they became
heroes in the first place.
Baiting the Hook

How do you convince the heroes to take the hook?
Bait it. This can be the easiest thing in the world in
a supers game, if the players are fully invested in
playing super-heroes.
Super-heroes, by their nature, tend to be roving
crusaders who patrol nightly and rush to the site
of danger when folks call for help. Street level
heroes often do this at the expense of their social
life, putting considerable strain on their personal
relationships in order to fight crime. Heroes with
this level of overdeveloped responsibility make
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it extremely easy to involve in the plotsall they

need is a report of a supervillain, or an innocent
in danger, and they are on their way, especially if
they are already on patrol and looking for criminal
activity in the first place.
Government sponsored heroes, or any hero
with legal authorization, can simply be assigned
missions. Heroes of this sort have some form
of commanding officer or handler who can
point them in the direction of the nearest plot
hook (often like a loaded gun). The whole thing
can even scream bad idea, but heroes in
this position tend to have little room to refuse
or negotiate. These heroes usually get a full
debriefing to go along with their orders, but
the agency intelligence is sometimes suspect,
either due to intelligence gaps or due to law
enforcement agencies in super-hero universes
having the unfortunate habit of being infiltrated
and corrupted (the large the agency, the more
likely it will become compromised over the course
of the campaign. Depending on the nature of the
mission and the sponsoring agency, the heroes
may find themselves with troublesome directives,
or even outright conflicting orders.
Supernatural heroes are often drawn to
trouble. A Hellish Spirit of Vengeance may
sense when innocent blood has been spilled
and find themselves rushing headlong into the
fray. Alternately, the heroes could be cursed
so that they are drawn together against their
will whenever trouble is brewing, whether they
actually get along with one another or not. The
common thread that heroes drawn in this way
share is that they often dont have a choice, as
mystical forces forcibly dictate them into action.
Heroes beholden to mystical forces that use
them like pawns and foot soldiers have been
known to go too far in attempting to stem the
flow of darkness around them so they can cease
their team-ups. A hi-tech variant of this would
be an advanced satellite detection system that
draws the hero that controls it into the conflict
after the latest round of villainous deeds, though
the High Tech Hero usually has the ability to
refuse the call, whereas mystical beings are often
forced into conflict by the powers they serve.
Heroes have connections. Villains can target
those connections, accidentally or intentionally.
A bank robbery is a standard super-hero
scenario. A bank robbery with a hostage
situation certainly complicates things. If the
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hostage is the spouse or significant other of

one of the heroes, the whole mess becomes
more sensitive. Even calm and reserved
heroes are more apt to get emotional and
make mistakes, because the consequences
of failure have a much bigger price. A brutal
villain targeting a police officer is enough to
make any decent heros blood boil, but when
the officer that is down happens to be the one
friend the heroes have on the force, the villains
will almost certainly invoke the ire of their more
even-tempered counterparts. These situations
are all incidental, but common. Imagine a villain
who intentionally targets a friend, ally or loved
one of the heroes. The reason many heroes
have secret identities is so that their loved
ones can be protected from the psychos and
villains they commonly face. When one of those
psychos realizes that the attractive couple in
the community pages of the newspaper is a
super-hero and her normal spouse, they may
well decide to target the hapless husband. Just
be careful not to overdo this trope. You dont
want to punish your players for having human
connections to their characters. While tragedy
is a common motivator for super-heroes, its
also one thats largely better off left to backstory
instead of an in-game misery tour.
The hero can become the target themselves.
Whether blatant (a villain emerges, or returns,
and wreaks havoc, directly calling the heroes
out) or subtle (a villain in the background sends
hired guns after the hero, perhaps to strike
during the conflict), you can take the guesswork
out of it by making it very personal and direct
and urgent. Having the team headquarters
bombed after a stressful mission is going to put
your heroes on high alert against your villains,
no doubt. Consider the personality of your
villain when you utilize this option: Are they the
type to play mind games? Do they have all the
subtlety of a sledgehammer? Do they want
to kill the hero, or are they more interested in
destroying everything the hero believes in?
The villains mindset goes a long way towards
helping you determine just how they would
attack your heroes. Marvels Sabretooth used to
stalk Wolverine on his birthday and tear out his
throat, forcing his healing factor to save him, just
to prove a point. The Red Skull wasnt content
with killing Captain America at the end of Civil
War, he needed the gun shots to come from
Caps brainwashed girlfriend. Doctor Doom is
more concerned with humiliating Reed Richards
than he is killing him, and so on. If your villain is

going to outright target the hero, make sure their
methods are consistent with their personalities.
Ultimately, the better the bait you provide to the
heroes, the more invested they feel and the less
likely they are to feel like you are just pushing them
in a certain direction. Give them a reason to want
to interact with the plot, above and beyond so you
have something to do.
Location, Location,
Location
When you know who is involved (the heroes and their
opposition), what is going on (the plot) and why the
heroes care (the hook), put some thought into the
where. Location can make an encounter every bit as
memorable as the villains or the plots. Many powers
and abilities can become more useful, or more
problematic, depending on the locations the heroes
are visiting over the course of the adventure, and
some locations may play into specific weaknesses of
the heroes or villains involved.
City Streets: Fighting on city streets is incredibly

commonplace stuff in super-hero adventures,
daytime or night time. Most city streets offer
interactive elements such as cars, lamp
posts, street signs and manhole covers for
the characters to use. Crowds can become an
issue, especially when a fight first begins. If the
hero is pursuing a villain through a crowd, then
flashy displays of power in order to stop them is
liable to lead to collateral damage. Hostages are
also in abundant supply for villains needing an
advantage. The skies are usually open enough
that fliers and the like can jockey for prime
position, and multiple fliers can find themselves
in a dogfight pretty quickly.
Dogfighting: Flying characters dont have to
limit themselves to hovering a few feet above
the ground, in arms reach of their opponents.
Whats the fun in that? Whether the characters
are wearing flying powered armor, are propelled
by cosmic energy or have bonafide wings, they
can take the fighting high above ground in a
battle of aerial superiority. The skies can be fairly
wide open, but a cunning fighter can pull the
fight near building tops and use those structures
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to gain the upper hand. One huge danger of

fighting in the skies is that the landing is typically
long and rough, and a hero or villain defeated in
the sky many not have the strength or capability
to soften their landing.
Under the Sea: On or below sea level can
make for a change of pace, for sure. Characters
with connections to undersea kingdoms are
occasionally underestimated, but an aquatic
character fighting a land dwelling character
can have a huge advantage, as a land dwelling
character will need special equipment in order
to breath underwater, or superpowers that allow
them to survive without air, and even then they
are less likely to have the freedom of movement
that an aquatic hero does. The deeper the fight
goes underwater, the more visibility is reduced
(at least for those not used to it) and the greater
the chance of a powerful underwater creature
or two getting involvedand thats not taking
into account an aquatic character being able to
control the animals themselves.
Urban Combat: Dark alleyways and abandoned
warehouses tend to be the order of the day for
gritty, street level combat, and we are discussing
them together because they share certain
similar characteristics. For one, the police are
rarely quick to respond, and they are not always
working on the side of law and order when
they do. Visibility tends to be low, between the
darkness and the claustrophobic arrangement of
the area. This allows stealthy melee characters
opportunities to create ambush situations
against their opponents, and skilled heroes or
villains can eliminate a numbers disadvantage
by utilizing the environment. Enhanced senses
can help a hero avoid surprises, but big, flashy
powers are going to either be limited in their
effectiveness or do a lot of property damage.
Mystic Sites: A villain looking to acquire
ancient power can lead the heroes to mystical
sites of power, creating a fantasy cat and
mouse game. Magical temples of lost societies
are often filled with traps both mundane
and mystical, leaving the heroes to dodge
poisonous darts and infernal fire alike. Dormant
guardians may come to life and seek to destroy
all intruders, or the villain may have already
acquired the means of controlling the guardians
(or at least becoming invisible to them). Mystic
sites, especially older ones, can be particularly
unstable, and extended conflicts can lead to the
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whole area caving in around them, which can

be hazardous for all parties. Some sites are also
connected to other dimensions, and the super
powers adventures could tear a hole in reality,
leading to any number of complications.
Other Dimensions: Venturing to another
dimension, by choice or by accident, can prove
to be a grab bag of new elements for the heroes
to deal with. Whole new, unrecognizable species,
powers acting in usual manners (like a character
with magnetic or gravity control powers learning
that those forces are dramatically altered in
another dimension, for better or for worse),
spontaneous eruptions of magic or energy.
These are the kinds of hazards that dimension
hopping heroes may face. Dimensions that
are very similar to their own may actually be
alternate realities, where they meet familiar faces
in unfamiliar roles. Whole campaigns can be set
in alternate dimensions, with the heroes being
pulled from individual realities and shuffling
through time and space, never knowing what
strange twist awaits them in their travels as they
try to get back home.
Wilderness: This really applies to any area thats
not heavily settled. From tracking rampaging
green goliaths into desert nuclear testing sites
to hunting furry, cannibalistic creatures into
the Canadian wilderness, not every adventure
has to feature the bright lights of the big city.
Hunting a villain in subzero temperatures before
they can reach their hidden superweapon in the
Arctic Circle can make for every bit as intense
and memorable of an adventure as a fight
through downtown Washington D.C. Heroes
tend to have less collateral damage to worry
about in these areas, though eco-conscious
characters will want to avoid wrecking the local
eco system by throwing around radioactive
blasts and destroying creature habitats. This
level of damage tends to get hand-waved unless
the hero and/or villain are particularly nature or
industry focused, for some reason.
Dont be afraid to take advantage of the fact that superhero games envelope a large range of genres and
subgenres and let the locations for your adventures
reflect that. Using wide spread of environments can
force your heroes into using their superpowers in
new ways, developing new tactics to account for
the unusual circumstances, helping each encounter
stand out in their minds and challenging their players
to find new ways to approach situations.
Meanwhile, Back At The

A good super-hero story is about more than just guys
in spandex beating each other up, and the same thing
is true of super-hero games. The best heroes tend to
have lives and loves and troubles and struggles. It
matters that your hero cant pay the bills, and they are
about to have their electricity cut off because they got
fired from their fourth job in six months. Sometimes,
these outside commitments intersect with the
primary conflict (like when a supervillain happens to
accidentally pick out the hostage thats married to a
super-hero), but plots like these tend to be secondary
to the alien invasions, super-prison breakouts and
interdimensional struggles.
Many times, Subplots are personal storylines
that help the heroes become three dimensional
characters, rather than cardboard cutouts with
colorful costumes and flashy powers. Thematically,
they often run alongside the main plot in a
complementary manner. Other times, subplots can
be slow-brewing schemes by villains that grow into
major plots in later adventures. The importance of
subplots, as well as the types of subplots used in
your games, should be dictated by the interests of
you and your players. More so than any other aspect
of a super-hero adventure, a subplot should be
constructed with your specific heroes in mind, but
there are some common ideas that can be used:
Bad, Bad Bosses: If a hero in your game has
a day job, they could easily have the boss
from Hell. Just how horrible is up to you. They
could just constantly hound the hero at their
day job, giving them work assignments that
make it difficult to slip away and fight crime,
or constantly hounding them for disappearing
on the job. In these cases, the boss isnt a
bad guy per se, as they are merely living up
to their responsibilities, but they do become
an antagonist by default, as they are actively
impeding our heroes. One payoff to this scenario
may see the boss learning of the heros double
life and deciding to help them fulfill their societal
responsibilities. Another outcome could see
the boss reveal themselves as a villain in their
own right and try to destroy the hero upon
discovering their identity. Alternately, there may
not be anything remotely subtle about the bad
boss at all. They spend their days railing on
about horrible the hero and their allies are, and
maybe even bankroll the very supervillains that
attack and attempt to kill the hero, unaware that
they are employing the very focus of their anger.
In cases like this, it is much harder for the hero

and Bad Boss to come to terms, but stranger
things have happened.
Home is Where the Heart Is: Heroes with
a family have an extra layer of responsibility.
As discussed above, heroes with family
members can find those attachments targeted
(accidentally or on purpose), but that is hardly
the extent of the complications a family can
add to a heros life. Super Parents have all
the anxiety of parenting, combined with
constantly fighting supervillains. In a superpowered world, drug dealers dont try to hook
your kid on marijuana, they try to hook them
on Meta Human Hormones that give users
super powers and rage problems. Spouses
who are constantly being abandoned so their
significant other can fight giant monsters and
alien invasions are likely going to have their
patience tested after a while, even though their
super-spouse is simply trying to secure a world
for their family. Depending on how superpowers
are treated in your campaign, a young wife who
finds herself pregnant with a superhumans
baby could provide for a whole other type of
Mom-to-be nerves.
The Dating Game: Romance can be a touchy
subject in tabletop games, with some groups
steering around out, some groups lightly
touching on it, and some groups embracing it
fully. It is a very common trope in super-hero
stories, and so it merits discussion here. At its
simplest, this subplot involves the hero trying to
balance dating and being a hero, with the hijinks
of having to run off in the middle of a date or
ditch the date altogether in order to fight crime.
The typical resolutions either involve the date
getting fed up with the treatment and growing
cold towards the hero, or the date discovering
the heros identity (and accepting or rejecting
the hero at that point). Other times, the flirtation
begins with another hero. This can have an
adverse effect on the teams dynamic, especially
if (would be) couple begin ignoring orders
or altering tactics because of their romantic
interest. It can get incredibly tense if two heroes
on a team begin dating and it doesnt work
out. A third variant can have a hero becoming
attracted to a villain. Played out over time, this
can lead to the heros judgement involving the
villain being questioned, or the villain intervening
to assist the hero on occasion. Eventually, the
hero and villain have to decide if their goals and
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desires are compatible, or if they are doomed

to be enemies. A final variant has a romantic
interest revealed as a villain, who may or may
not have been aware they were dating a hero.
This can be shocking and unnerving for both
sides, realizing they have been sleeping with the
enemy. Using romance in a game can be tricky
and your players may want nothing to do with
it. Be open about the possibility of romantic
subplots and handle with care.
A Phantom Menace: Maybe you have a
cool, new villain you want to use (or a cool,
old villain to bring back). Maybe you dont
want to just spring the villain on the heroes
just like any other adventure. One subplot
destined to become a full blown A plot is the
rise of a powerful villain. This can be handled
in a number of ways, such as the heroes
clashing with the villains agents, or another
powerful villain falling prey to the new rising
power. Clues and signs about the villain can
be sprinkled across multiple adventures,
subtle at first, then growing in prominence so
the heroes can both dread and anticipate its
arrival. Another variation of this is to provide
the heroes with a series of seemingly unrelated
adventures, only to reveal that they were all
linked to the plans of a villainous Mastermind.
In that event, be prepared to have the villain
explain exactly what he did and when,
especially if the heroes inadvertently helped
him by taking out the competition.
Regardless of the subplot, or subplots, that you
employ, they should enhance the game experience
for player and GM alike. If you and your players want
a heavy focus on super-hero slugfests, and identities
and characterizations are low priority for everyone,
then dont include em. There have been several
successful comic books that have been story-lite and
action heavy and that alright: There is no wrong way
to play unless people arent having fun.
What A Twist!
Sometimes, when you scratch the surface of
a situation, you find more surface underneath.
Sometimes, you find something dark and dangerous
and completely unexpected. Plots often have twists,
and this is true in fiction and roleplaying games. Plot
twists can keep your players on their toes, and turn
a predictable situation on its ear. Some common plot
twists have been discussed above, but there are
many ways to surprise your players and their heroes:
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Discovering that a fellow hero is another

supporting character that the heroes are already
connected to, especially if the supporting
character is a love interest, or a typically
antagonistic character.
Learning the identity of a villain and discovering
that they are already connected to the villain,
especially if it is a friend or love interest.
Discovering that the villains the heroes are battling
are in the thrall of another, more powerful villain,
who has organized them for a sinister purpose.
Investigating a series of crimes and discovering
that the authorities have named the hero the
prime suspect: Due to evidence that points firmly
in their direction.
A character is revealed as having been replaced
by a shapeshifter or decoy (robots, aliens and
shapeshifting characters all apply).
The villains are being backed by government
entities. Bonus points if its not a shadow
government, but the actual authorities funding
villains to attack the heroes.
As the heroes are outmanned and outgunned,
they are rescued by a known supervillain who
fends off their foes and offers them escape. The
villain gives their reasons for helping, and its up to
the heroes to decide if they can trust the villain.
A character appears who claims to be the
long lost parent of one of the heroes (or the
true parent, if both biological parents are
accounted for).
A character appears who claims to be one of
the heroes from the future, sent back to avert a
horrible catastrophe.
One or more of the heroes is revealed to be an
alien/clone/robot and was unaware of it all along.
Be incredibly careful with this one, unless you
know your players incredibly well.
A heros business or place of employment has been
bought out in a hostile takeover by a businessman
that the hero knows is actually a supervillain.
Twists for twists sake arent recommended. If you
have a perfectly good plot and twist, and the players
figure it out early on, it may be that you did a good job
of setting clues, and they picked up on them. Kudos.
Dont then throw in a nonsensical twist for the purpose
of getting one up on them. There is nothing wrong
with giving the players what they expect, and giving

them what they expect (and making it make sense) is
always preferable to throwing them a curveball that is
completely out of left field, all in the name of surprise.
Set Up The First Scene

Start things off by being as unsubtle as possible: take
one of your story questions, come up with something
that will bring the question into sharp relief, and hit your
players over the head with it as hard as you can. You
dont have to answer it right off the bat (though theres
nothing wrong with that, either), but you should show
the players that the question demands an answer.
That way, youre setting an example for the rest of the
session and getting the momentum going, ensuring
the players wont dither around. Remember, theyre
supposed to be super-heroes; give them something
to be proactive about right from the get-go.
If youre in an ongoing series, you might need the
first scenes of a session to resolve loose ends that
were left hanging from a previous issue. Its okay to
spend time on that, because it helps keep the sense
of continuity going from issue to issue. As soon as
theres a lull in momentum, though, hit them with your
opening scene fast and hard.
GM Trick: Powerful
First Scenes
Asking the players to contribute something
to the beginning of your first scene is a great
way to help get them invested in whats going
on right off the bat. If theres anything thats
flexible about your opening prompt, ask your
players to fill in the blanks for you when you
start the scene. Clever players may try to use
it as an opportunity to push for a compel and
get extra fate points right off the batwe like
to call this sort of play awesome.
Defining Scenes
A scene is a unit of game time lasting anywhere from
a few minutes to a half hour or more, during which the
players try to achieve a goal or otherwise accomplish
something significant in a story arc. Taken together,
the collection of scenes you play through make up a
whole issue of play, and by extension, also make up
your story arcs, arcs, and campaigns.
So you can look at it as the foundational unit of game

time, and you probably already have a good idea of
what one looks like. Its not all that different from a
scene in a comic book the main characters are
doing stuff in continuous time, usually all in the same
space. Once the action shifts to a new goal, moves
to a new place related to that goal, or jumps in time,
youre in the next scene.
As a GM, one of your most important jobs is to manage
the starting and ending of scenes. The best way to
control the pacing of what happens in your session
is to keep a tight rein on when scenes start and end.
Let things continue as long as the players are all
invested and enjoying themselves, but as soon as the
momentum starts to flag, move on to the next thing.
Starting Scenes
When youre starting a scene, establish the following
two things as clearly as you can:
Whats the purpose of the scene?
What interesting thing is just about to happen?
Answering the first question is super-important,
because the more specific your scenes purpose,
the easier it is to know when the scenes over. A
good scene revolves around resolving a specific
conflict or achieving a specific goal. Once the
heroes have succeeded or failed at doing whatever
they are trying to do, the scenes over. If your scene
doesnt have a clear purpose, you run the risk of
letting it drag on longer than you intended and slow
the pace of your session down.
Most of the time, the players are going to tell you what
the purpose of the scene is, because theyre always
going to be telling you what they want to do next as a
matter of course. So if they say, Well, were going to
the thugs apartment to see if we can get some dirt on
him, then you know the purpose of the scene, and
its over when the heroes either get the dirt, or get into
a situation where its impossible to get the dirt.
Sometimes, though, theyre going to be pretty vague
about it. If you dont have an intuitive understanding
of their goals in context, ask questions until they state
things directly. So if a player says, Okay, Im going to
the nightclub to meet with my contact, that might be
a little vague you know theres a meeting, but you
dont know what its for. You might ask, What are you
interested in finding out? Have you negotiated a price
for the information yet? or another question thatll
help get the player to nail down what hes after.
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Also, sometimes youll have to come up with a scenes

purpose all on your own, such as the beginning
of a new story arc, or the next scene following a
cliffhanger. Whenever you have to do that, try going
back to the story questions you came up with earlier
and introducing a situation thats going to directly
contribute to answering them. That way, whenever
its your job to start a scene, youre always moving
the story along.
The second question is just as important. You want
to start a scene just before something interesting
is going to take place. Comic books are especially
good at this usually, youre not reading for more
than a couple of pages before something happens to
change the situation or shake things up.
Cutting in just before some new action starts helps
keep the pace of your session brisk and helps hold
the players attention. You dont want to chronicle
every second of flying or running across town to get
to the thugs apartment. You want to start as they
have already arrived, and are now involved in the
action of trying to get inside.
If you get stumped by this question, just think of
something that might complicate whatever the
purpose is or make it problematic. You can also use
the GM trick mentioned earlier and ask the players
leading questions to help you figure out the interesting
thing thats about to happen.
If you have a clear purpose going into every scene
and you start just before some significant piece of
action, its hard to go wrong.
Ending Scenes
You can end scenes the way you start them,
but in reverse: as soon as youve wrapped up
whatever your scenes purpose was, move on,
and shoot for ending the scene immediately after
the interesting action concludes.
A lot of your scenes are going to end up the same
way. The heroes might win a conflict or achieve a
goal, but theres likely something else theyre going
to want to do afterward.
Instead of lingering at that scene, though, suggest that
they move on to a new one, which helps answer one
of the unresolved questions from the current scene.
Try to get them to state what they want to do next,
and then go back to the two questions for starting
scenes abovewhats the purpose of the next scene,
and whats the next bit of interesting action to come?
Then dive right into that.
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The one time you should exhibit restraint is if its

clear that the players are really, really enjoying their
interactions. Sometimes people just want to yammer
and jaw in character, and thats okay as long as
theyre really into it. If you see interest starting to flag,
though, take that opportunity to insert yourself and
ask about the next scene.
Hit Their Aspects

Another good way to figure out the interesting action
for a scene is to turn to the heroes aspects, and
create a complication or an event-based compel
based on them. This is especially good to do for
those heroes whose aspects did not come into play
when you made up your story arc problem, because
it allows them to have some of the spotlight despite
the fact that the overall story does not focus on
them as much.
The Story Arc In Play

So, now you should be ready to begin: you have a
problem that cant be ignored, a variety of story
questions that will lead to resolving that problem
one way or another, a core group of NPCs and their
motivations, and a really dynamic first scene that will
get things cooking.
Everything should be smooth sailing from here, right?
You present the questions, the players gradually
answer them, and your story rolls into a nice, neat
conclusion.
Yeah... trust us, itll never happen that way.
The most important thing to remember when you
actually get the story arc off the ground is this:
whatever happens will always be different from what
you expect. The heroes will hate an NPC you intended
them to befriend, have wild successes that give away
a bad guys secrets very early, suffer unexpected
setbacks that change the course of their actions, or
any one of another hundred different things that just
dont end up the way you think they should.
Notice that we dont recommend predetermining
what scenes and locations are going to be involved
in your story arc thats because we find that most
of the time, youre going to throw out most of that
material anyway, in the face of a dynamic group of
players and their choices.
Not all is lost, however. Tthe stuff you have prepared
should help you tremendously when players do
something unexpected. Your story questions are
vague enough that there are going to be multiple

ways to answer each one, and you can very quickly
axe one that isnt going to be relevant and replace it
with something else on the fly without having to toss
the rest of your work.
Also, knowing your NPCs motivations and goals
allows you to adjust their behavior more easily than
if youd just placed them in a static scene waiting for
the heroes to show up. When the players throw you
a curveball, make the NPCs as dynamic and reactive
as they are, by having them take sudden, surprising
action in pursuit of their goals.
Resolving The Story arc

A story arc ends when youve run enough scenes
to definitively answer most of the story questions
you came up with when you were preparing your
story arc. Sometimes youll be able to do that in a
single session if you have a lot of time or only a few
questions. If you have a lot of questions, itll probably
take you two or three issues to get through them all.
Dont feel the need to answer every story question
if youve brought things to a satisfying conclusion
you can either use unresolved story questions for
future story arcs or let them lie if they didnt get a
whole lot of traction with the players.
The end of a story arc usually triggers a significant
milestone. When this happens, you should also see if
the game world needs advancing too.
Using the Rogues Gallery

and Supporting Cast
When creating an issue or story arc, never forget
the Rogues Gallery and Supporting Cast members
the players chose for their characters during the
character creation process.
Although you need not always use them, the Rogues
Gallery are villains specifically tailor-made to oppose
their heroic counterpart (and as the GM, you should
be completing the Rogues character sheet as a Main
NPC to reflect exactly that). Each rogue automatically
knows one of the heros character aspects, and once
per Issue the rogue can invoke (for a +2 bonus) or
compel that aspect against the hero at no fate point
cost. Yes, the hero can resist the invocation or compel,
but doing so costs a fate point from the player that
goes into the GM fate pool at the end of the scene.
Supporting cast members are another way to make

a storyline personal for one or more heroes. These
were the NPCs the players created during character
creation to become a part of their heros personal
world and story. It might have been a wife or husband,
a teenaged son or daughter, an elderly aunt, an astute
family butler, or any other type of character they could
come up with. Use the Supporting Cast members
the players created to not only ground them into the
story world through interesting role-playing scenes,
but to also provide all sorts of obstacles. Maybe the
elderly aunt suffers a heart attack and is placed in the
hospital, and their health and possible death weighs
on the hero. If the hero doesnt have a character
aspect representing the supporting cast member (and
having one is not required), then make that a situation
aspect at just the right moment. That way, either way
its handled, the hero will be able to use that aspect to
drive himself harder, or compel it against him to have
it cause a dramatic complication for him. Perhaps he
suddenly gets a fear of his aunts death, hesitates,
and the villain manages to escape.
The point is, make sure to use the heroes Rogues
Gallery and Supporting Cast, if not as the inspiration
for an Issues storyline, then at least as a scene or
two within an Issue. Doing so makes the story more
personal for the player and character, and invokes
that sense of taking part in an unfolding comic book
series. Of course, not every Issue or storyline needs
to focus on a Rogue or Supporting Cast member, and
as a matter of fact, they shouldnt. But when used
occasionally throughout a series, theyre guaranteed
to add a sense of personal investment and continuity
into the series.
Putting It All Together

Having discussed some of the various elements that
go into creating a super-hero adventure, we now
have to put all of those elements together to make an
adventure. The level of writing you do is going to be
up to you, and some would argue that there is such a
thing as too much preparation.
One of the simplest approaches to take with writing
a super-hero adventure is to ignore the heroes.
That may not make much sense at first, but villains
tend to be the main drivers of conflict in super-hero
adventures. Heroes are rarely for hire (though there
are some notable exceptions), and are not visiting
ancient temples and dungeons to take their treasures
for their own. Start with your villain and detail their
plans. Take the heroes into account only as far as
219
the villain is likely to. If the villain is the archenemy

of the heroes, they practically expect the heroes to
try to thwart them, so put some thought into any
realistic countermeasures. If the villain has never
crossed paths with the heroes before, then it may
not make sense for them to have countermeasures
in place. Once this is complete, identify the likely
point in the plan in which the heroes will become
aware of the villains plot. If it makes sense, apply
a strong, baited hook here (such as the villains
attacking the office building of a heros loved one).
Otherwise, let the villains plot run and allow the
heroes to react when they become aware, while
they are doing other things (out on patrol, stopping
muggings, on dates, having a poker game with their
super-hero buddies). This approach may provide a
somewhat looser narrative, and will likely require
decent improvisational skills from the GM.
You can tightly script a super-hero adventure, with
scene by scene breakdowns that helpfully walk the
characters through the plot. One advantage to this
is that you can build in scenes and situations that
specifically play to the heroes strengths and test
their weaknesses. Extra planning and forethought
allow you to ensure that no one is left out and let
you identify potential trouble areas that the heroes
powers and skills may exploit in the adventure. One
downside to this is that folks who tightly script their
adventures often feel bound to that script, which
is a dicey proposition in any roleplaying game, but
can be particularly constricting in the gonzo genre
stew that is super-hero RPGs. Getting too hung up
on the right way to resolve a conflict can rob you

and your players of some brilliant stories as superhero characters often have the ability to not only think
outside the box, but to teleport the box to another
dimension and blow it up.
This kind of rigid thinking can also lead to railroading,
in which player choice is largely removed and they
are directed from one scene to the next. Now, this
is not an indictment of railroading. Again, this is a
know your players thing. Some groups are happy
to buckle up and take a ride, as long as the view is
good. Others want to know that they are influencing
the direction the story is going in. Tightly scripting
while avoiding railroading can be done by scripting
scene to scene and plotting multiple directions for an
adventure to take. The downside to this is that you
are likely to create material that will never actually
be used in play, which can seem wasteful (though a
really good idea left unused can always be dusted off,
reworked and plugged into a later scenario).
A third method involves loose outlining. This is similar
to the first method, but more emphasis is placed on
the overall adventure and what the heroes are or are
not doing, rather than just on the villains plans and
leaving it up to the heroes to disrupt. This method
tends to allow for fewer surprises than the first, but
leaves more spontaneity in play than the second
does. This can be more easily done if you know your
players and their playstyles well, by anticipating their
likely reaction to situations to allow you to focus on
adventure areas they are more likely to be drawn to.
When planning the
adventure,
think
ahead: Are you
intending to run
more
adventures,
or is this a one
shot? If its a one
shot, dont give the
villain quite as many
escape
options,
so the adventure
has
a
better
chance of having
a more satisfying
conclusion.
If
adventure is part
of
an
ongoing
campaign, you can
keep your options
open and give the
villain more potential
220
outs, as the heroes are more likely to see them

again in the future.
Dont be afraid to let your heroes be awesome. Superheroes are cool and powerful and tough. Let them be
cool and powerful and tough. Give them challenges
that they excel in, and legions of mooks that cant
withstand their might. Let them be the heroes of
their own story, even if they are not necessarily the
strongest or most powerful heroes in the game world.
This doesnt mean you cant challenge them, or that
things should never go wrong. Quite the opposite. If
the heroes have suffered a crushing setback, it is all
the more important that they get the chance to show
off and make an impact. If the last adventure ended
in horrible tragedy and the villain beat them down and
got away, then it might be a great time to work in a
rescue scenario so people they are saving can remind
them that they are larger than life beings to them. They
dont have to win all the time, but if every adventure is
a losing proposition, then the heroes arent going to
feel very heroic.
Be prepared, but be flexible. Super-hero adventures
are notorious for being easy to shred due to
unforeseen consequences of how certain powers
interact with certain situations. When you are
planning an adventure, you are trying to account
for the capabilities of every hero in your game. The
individual players are only looking at each situation as
it applies to their hero, so they are generally way more
focused on how their ability to control mammals can
help them solve a situation than you are because their
character is their sole interface with the situation you
have crafted for a whole group. Thats okay. Superheroes break limits and bend the laws of reality all
the time. Your players are almost certainly going to
surprise you with what they do and how they do it.
Thats generally a good thing. Dont punish them for
being creative, but let villains adapt to their tactics if
they use the same ones over and over.
Remind the heroes they are part of a larger universe

(unless, of course, they arent), and let them see the
impact of their actions. Having a cold open of an
adventure involve the heroes and an NPC guest star
teaming up to take down a fairly strong, but minor,
villain can be a nice touch that keeps them invested
in the game world, especially when that villain comes
seeking revenge, or that hero becomes bait for one of
your hooks in the future.
For all the advice about making sure heroes make
sense for an adventure, dont be afraid to discard
it all in the name of something fun and interesting.
The X-Men were, and are, an allegory for civil rights,
but they have had multiple iconic adventures in
outer space. The Punisher recently took advantage
of Earths heavy hitters leaving planet Earth to stop
an invading force by targeting the hidden leaders
of New Yorks mob scene, knowing no one was
going to be around to stop him from turning it into
a massacre if he needed to. Most folks recall Hulks
various Leave me alone! battles with the military
and other heroes, but did you know he was involved
in Desert Storm-like conflict to overthrow a brutal
Middle Eastern dictator?
Super-hero adventures are science fiction, fantasy,
horror, crime drama, comedy, soap opera, wuxia
and political thriller all in one. They are big, sweeping
epics, but they work best when grounded in quiet
character moments. It is not only possible to
embrace the absurdity of telepathic gorillas trying
to take over the world, possibly while aligned with
mind controlling star fish, but to play that absurdity
completely straight. Batman takes his maniacal,
clown-faced archnemesis as seriously as he does
the undead creature that haunts his citys swamps,
and he treats them both with the same gravity that
he does white-skinned Martian invaders. There is
literally no limit to the elements that can be believably
introduced into a standard super-hero adventure,
as long as it is fun and interesting.
221
Chapter 15: Advancing the series

Defining Volumes
When you sit down to play Daring Comics, you might
just play a single Issue. Thats a viable way to play
the game, but lets assume that you want it to go a bit
longer. What you need, then, is a volume.
A volume is a complete storyline with its own themes,
situations,
antagonists,
innocent
bystanders, and endgame, told in
the span of a few Issues (somewhere
between three and six, usually). You
dont need to have everything planned
out (in fact, you probably shouldnt, given
that no meticulously planned story ever
survives contact with the players), but
you need to have an idea of where things
begin and end, and what might happen
in the middle.
Think of a volume the same way you
would when reading a comic book
volume (also called graphic novels,
nowadays). It tells its own story and ends
when its done; you provide some form
of closure and move on. Sometimes
you move on to another story, and
sometimes your volume is just the first
in a series of volumes. Thats when you
have a series.
Defining Series
When you have multiple volumes that
are connected and told in a sequence,
and that have an overarching story or
theme that runs through all of them, you
have a series. series are long, taking
months or even years to complete (if
you ever do).
Of course, that doesnt need to be as
scary as it might sound. Yes, a series is
long and large and complex. You dont,
however, need to come up with the
whole thing at once. As with a volume,
you may have an idea where it begins
222
and ends (and that can be helpful), but you really only
need to plan a volume at a time.
See, the players are so prone to shaking things up
and changing things on you that planning more than
one volume at a time is often frustrating and futile.
Planning the second volume of a series based on
the events of the first volume, how it turned out, and
what your players did, though well, that can make
for very satisfying play.
Building A Volume
The very best aspects to look at for a series-level

problem are your settings current or impending
problems, because of their scope.
The easiest way to build a volume is not to build one,

we suggested that if you have a lot of story questions,
you can reserve some of them for the next volume.
Then, in your next volume, add some new questions
to go with the unanswered ones. Keep going along
that route, and youll have material for three or four
volumes without doing that much additional work.
In addition, that lets you incorporate changes to the
characters aspects organically, rather than making a
plan and having it disrupted.
Advancement And Change
That said, we know some GMs want to have a greater

sense of structure for the long run. We recommend
using the same method for building volumes in the
previous chapter to build volumes, but changing
the scope of the story questions you come up with.
Instead of focusing on immediate problems for the
PCs to solve, come up with a more general problem,
where the PCs are going to have to solve smaller
problems first in order to have a chance at resolving
the larger one.
In addition to your characters, the game world will

change also. Youll resolve threats as you play,
or change the face of a location, or make such
an impact on the world that one of the issues
may need to change. Well get more into world
advancement later.
The best places to look for volume-sized problems

are the current or impending problems of places or
organizations that you came up with during series
creation. If you havent made any up yet for a particular
place or group, now might be a good time to do that,
so you have material for the volume.
Then go through the same process of picking
opposing NPCs, keeping in mind that their influence
is supposed to be more far-reaching in a volume than
in a single volume.
Building A Series
Again, the easiest way to do this is not to bother just
let your ideas and story questions flow from one to
the other and create the series story for you. Human
beings are pattern-making machines, and its very
likely that youll naturally pick up on what the longterm plot devices of your series need to be by keying
into unanswered questions as the Issues progress.
However, if you want to do a little bit of focused
planning, the advice is the same as for a story arc,
except youre generalizing even more. Pick one story
question to answer, which the PCs will spend their
issues building to. Then, jot down some notes on
what steps will lead to answering that question, so
you have material for storylines to come.
Your characters arent going to remain static

through the entire series. As their stories play out,
theyll have the chance to grow and change in
response to the events that happen in play. The
conflicts they face and the complications they
overcome will alter your sense of who they are and
push them toward new challenges.
Character advancement in Daring Comics comes in

one of two flavors: either you can change something
on your sheet to something else thats equivalent,
or you can add new things to your sheet. The
opportunities you get to do this are collectively
called milestones.
Defining Milestones
A milestone is a moment during the series where you
have the chance to change or advance your character.
We call them milestones because they usually happen
at significant break points in the action of a game
the end of an Issue, the end of a story arc, and the
end of a volume, respectively.
Usually, those break points immediately follow
some significant event in the story that justifies your
character changing in response to events. You might
reveal a significant plot detail or have a cliffhanger at
the end of an issue. You might defeat a major villain or
resolve a plotline at the end of a story arc. You might
resolve a major storyline that shakes up the series
world at the end of a volume.
Obviously, things wont always line up that nicely, so
GMs, you have some discretion in deciding when a
certain level of milestone occurs. If it seems satisfying
to give out a milestone in the middle of an Issue, go
ahead, but stick to the guidelines here to keep from
handing out too many advancement opportunities
too often.
223
Milestones come in three levels of importance: minor,

significant, and major.
Minor Milestones
Minor milestones usually occur at the end of an Issue
of play, or when one piece of a story has been resolved.
These kinds of milestones are more about changing
your character rather than making him or her more
powerful, about adjusting in response to whatevers
going on in the story if you need to. Sometimes it
wont really make sense to take advantage of a minor
milestone, but you always have the opportunity if you
should need to.
During a minor milestone, you can choose to do one
(and only one) of the following:
Switch the rank values of any two skills, or
replace one Average (+1) skill with one that isnt
on your sheet.
Change any single stunt for another stunt, or
a single power or special effect for another of
equal or lesser cost (and yes, you get back any
unused Hero Points, which you can immediately
spend).
Purchase a new stunt, power, or special
effect, provided you have the refresh to do so.
(Remember, you cant go below 1 refresh.)
Rename one character aspect that isnt your
Concept.
This is a good way to make slight character
adjustments, if it seems like something on your
character isnt quite right you dont end up using
that stunt as often as you thought, or you resolved
the Revenge Against the Terenza Family that you
had and thus its no longer appropriate, or any of
those changes that keep your character consistent
with the events of play.
In fact, you should almost always be able to justify the
change youre making in terms of the games story.
You shouldnt be able to change Hot Tempered to
Staunch Pacifist, for example, unless something
happened in the story to inspire a serious change of
heart. GMs, youre the final arbiter on this, but dont
be so much of a stickler that you sacrifice a players
fun for consistency.
Significant Milestones
Significant milestones usually occur at the end of a
story arc or the conclusion of a big plot event (or,
224
when in doubt, at the end of every two or three Issues).

Unlike minor milestones, which are primarily about
change, significant milestones are about learning
new things dealing with problems and challenges
has made your character generally more capable at
what they do.
In addition to the benefit of a minor milestone, you
also gain both of the following:
One additional skill point, which you can spend
to buy a new skill at Average (+1) or increase an
existing skill by one rank.
When you spend your skill point, its worth one
step on the ladder. You can use it to buy a new skill
at Average (+1), or you can use it to increase an
existing skill by one step on the laddersay, from
Good (+3) to Great (+4).
You might notice that this means that the further you
get up the ladder, the harder it is to quickly advance
your skills. This is intentional, no one is going to be
able to get to the point where theyre awesome at
everything, all the time.
When increasing skills, though, make sure you abide
by the skill column.
Major Milestones
A major milestone should only occur when something
happens in the series that shakes it up a lot the end
of a volume, the death of a main NPC villain, or any
other large-scale change that reverberates around
your game world.
These milestones are about gaining more power. The
challenges of yesterday simply arent sufficient to
threaten these characters anymore, and the threats
of tomorrow will need to be more adept, organized,
and determined to stand against them in the future.
Achieving a major milestone confers the benefits of a
significant milestone and a minor milestone, and all of
the following additional options:
If you have an extreme consequence, rename it to
reflect that youve moved past its most debilitating
effects. This allows you to take another extreme
consequence in the future, if you desire.
Take an additional Hero Point, which allows you
to purchase a new Stunt, a new Power, a special
effect for a power, or even increase your Refresh
by one. You can also bank the Hero Point until
you reach future Major Milestones, if a stunt,
power, or special effect costs more than one

point (though its probably better to just drop it
into your Refresh until that time).
Advance a skill beyond the series current skill
cap, if youre able to, thus increasing the skill cap.
Rename your characters Concept if you desire.
Reaching a major milestone is a pretty big deal.
Characters with more stunts are going to have a
diverse range of bonuses, making their skills much
more effective by default. Characters with higher
refresh will have a much larger fountain of fate points
to work with when issues begin, which means theyll
be less reliant on compels for a while.
GMs, when the player characters go past the skill
cap, it will necessarily change the way you make
opposition NPCs, because youre going to need foes
who can match the PCs in terms of base competence
so as to provide a worthy challenge. It wont happen
all at once, which will give you the chance to introduce
more powerful enemies gradually, but if you play long
enough, eventually youre going to have PCs who
have Epic and Legendary skill ratings that alone
should give you a sense of what kind of villains youll
need to bring to get in their way.

Most of all, a major milestone should signal that lots
of things in the world of your game have changed.
Some of that will probably be reflected in world
advancement, but given the number of chances the
PCs have had to revise their aspects in response to
the story, you could be looking at a group with a much
different set of priorities and concerns than they had
when they started.
World Advancement
The characters are not the only ones who change in
response to events in the game. Player characters
leave their mark on locations (and their faces) with
their passing. Things that were crises and major
issues at the start of a game get addressed, resolved,
or changed. Things that werent major problems
before suddenly blossom with new severity and life.
Old adversaries fall to the wayside and new ones rise.
GMs, when the players are changing their characters
through milestones, you should also be looking at
whether or not the aspects you originally placed on
225
the game during game creation need to change in

response to what theyve done, or simply because of
lack of use.
Here are some guidelines regarding each milestone.
For Minor Milestones

Do you need to add a new location to the
game, based on what the PCs have done?
If so, come up with some NPCs to help give
more personality to the location and add an
issue to the place.
Have the PCs resolved a problem in a location?
Get rid of the aspect, or maybe change it to
represent how the problem was resolved.
Advancing Collateral
Damage Consequences
Whenever there are Collateral Damage Consequences
left at the end of a story arc, as GM you have a little
creative work to do. Mechanically speaking, collateral
damage consequences should clear at the end of a
story arc, but naturally they just dont simply go away.
Instead, they are combined (if there are more than
one) and moved into new series aspects. You can
either make them a new series aspect that the heroes
must somehow overcome, or combine them with
an already existing series aspect to show an overall
increase to an already existing problem.
Did the PCs resolve a problem that was on

the whole game world? If so, remove (or alter)
the aspect.
In the current series, which originally started

as an underworld street level tale and over
time has evolved into something larger, the
two series aspects are: Alien Shape-Shifting
Agents Amongst Us as the broad problem,
and Alien Infiltration of Law Enforcement as
the immediate problem.
Did the PCs create permanent change in a

location? If so, create a new problem to reflect
this, for better or for worse.
At the end of the current story arc, the

Collateral Damage Consequence of Heavily
Damaged Skyscrapers was left unresolved.
For Significant Milestones
For Major Milestones

Did the PCs create permanent change in the
game world? If so, give it a new problem to
reflect this, for better or for worse.
You dont need to make these changes as precisely
or as regularly as the players do. If anything, you
should be as reactive as you can. In other words,
focus on changing those aspects that the player
characters have directly interacted with and caused
the most change to.
If you have aspects you havent really explored yet,
keep them around if you think theyre just waiting their
turn. However, you can also change them in order to
make them more relevant to whats going on in the
moment, or simply to give the PCs more of a sense of
being in an evolving world.
Also, keep in mind that if the PCs remove an impending
problem, another one must arise to take its place.
Dont worry about this immediately you need to give
your players a sense of enacting permanent change
in the game world. But after a while, if you notice that
youre low on impending problems, its probably a
good time to introduce a new one, whether on the
setting as a whole or on a specific location.
226
Mike looks at the consequence, and has a

choice to make. He could use to it make a new
location aspect for downtown representing
the massive damage and loss of business
operations (and potential jobs to the citizens).
He could also simply take such an aspect and
make it third new series aspect, something
like: Weakened City Economy or Citizens
Angry at the Super-Powered Population.
His third option is to somehow take that
aspect, and weave it into one of the
already existing series aspects, thereby
broadening the problem.
Mike decides to do just that, and takes the
Heavily Damaged Skyscrapers consequence
the Alien Infiltration of Law Enforcement series
aspect, and combine them into a slightly larger
problem. He calls the reworked series aspect
Law Enforcement Crackdown on Super-Hero
Activity, which represents both the original
series aspect as well as fallout for the collateral
damage the heroes caused.
Dealing with NPCs

Remember, GMs, when you add a new location to the
setting, you want to add at least one new NPC to go

with it. Sometimes, that might mean moving a person
from a location youre not going to use anymore.
powerful and influential.
Likewise, when theres a significant change in an

issue for a location or the setting, you
need to evaluate if the current NPCs
are sufficient to express that change.
If not, you might need to add one, or
alter an NPC you have in a significant
way such as add more aspects or
revise existing aspects to keep that
character relevant to the problem at
hand.
Most of the time, it should be pretty
obvious when you need a new face
for a location when the old one
dies or is somehow permanently
removed from the series, or is boring
now, its probably time to change
things up.
Recurring NPCs
There are essentially two ways to
reuse NPCs. You can either use them
to show how the PCs have grown
since they started, or use them to
show how the world is responding to
their growth.
With the former, you dont change
the NPC, because thats the point
the next time the PCs meet them,
theyve outclassed them, or they
have new worries, or theyve
somehow grown past that NPC,
who remains static. Maybe you
even change the category theyre
in where they were once a main
NPC, now theyre a supporting
NPC because of how the PCs have
grown.
With the latter, you allow the NPC
to advance like the PCs have
you add new skills, change their
aspects around, give them a stunt
or two, and otherwise do whatever
is necessary to keep them relevant
to the PCs endeavors. This kind of
NPC might be able to hang around
as a nemesis for several volumes,
or at least provide some sense of
continuity as the PCs become more
227
Appendix: Turning the Dials

The Daring Comics Role-Playing Game is designed
around the Fate system from Evil Hat Productions.
Being a Fate game, that means the system is easily
hackable to make new rules, create rules variations,
and pretty much make it do whatever you want at the
gaming table. Evil Hat Productions already provided a
lot of good, variant rules concepts in their Fate Toolkit
book, and theres also a treasure trove of variants
posted across the internet by the Fate Community.
Since Daring Comics is a toolkit system where we
expect you to hack the heck out of it to get the right
feel for your comic book series, were also going
to help out along those lines in this final chapter.
Throughout the next several pages, were going to
provide you with some of our hacks for the game, and
hopefully inspire you to create some of your own and
share them with the larger Fate Community.
Fate Veterans will recognize some of these variants
from other Fate games. Thats unavoidable, though.
While we expect the veterans out there to already
228
know this stuff, we also have to keep in mind that

some folks might be trying out the Fate system for
the first time through Daring Comics. If the variant
from another Fate game worked, we didnt feel it was
a good idea to reinvent the proverbial wheel just for
the sake of doing so. The rules already worked, and
plugged right in to represent other facets of superhero comic book concepts. Altering them just for the
sake of doing so, in our opinion, would have ignored
one of the core strengths of an OGL system.
What this Appendix does is goes through the Daring
Comics rulebook chapter by chapter, and provides
some variations to the already established rules.
Not all chapters will see hacks in this Appendix,
and it would be impossible to cover every possible
variant that could be conceived. All were doing is
laying some groundwork to hopefully get your own
brainstorms brewing.
As with any Fate game, when you start turning the
dials, especially if you turn too many at once, you will
probably find some balance issues during play as

you start mixing and matching more and more ideas.
Dont worry too much about that. Simply find the right
combination that works best for your group, that you
consider fun, and get out there fighting for justice.

By default, Daring Comics assumes that every hero
on the team (i.e. the player-characters) will be of the
same Series Level and Experience Level. But that
doesnt necessarily be the case, especially since it is
rarely the axiom in comic books.
The following variant allows for creating a super team
with player-character heroes of different Series and/
or Experience levels.
Different Series Levels

Teams in comic books very often run with characters
that would fit into very different Series Levels. The Off
the Charts alien who can move mountains, the Urban
Protector with an armory of devices and highly trained
skills, the man in power-armor, and even a guy with
just extensive training and a quiver of trick arrows.
In Daring Comics, you are not required to run a
game with each member of your team having the
same number of Hero Points. Mix it up. The Series
Level is there to provide a benchmark, to show you
in the numbers how powerful one member is in
relation to the others.
But when running a team of different Series Level
characters, consider the following option to give a
little extra push to those of lesser Hero Points. Keep in
mind that this is an option, and the GM is not required
to employ it.
capable of taking on galactic level threats.

All the other members except one other, fall
under the Earths Mightiest level.
Meanwhile, Sure-Shot is an Urban Protector
kind of guy. Sure, anything is a bullet in his
hands, but outside of that and some training,
he really isnt super-powered.
Whenever Sure-Shot is on a team with Phalanx,
he gets three extra fate points at the start of
the Issue. All the other members get one extra
fate point when working with Phalanx.
Different Experience Levels

You could also do the same for members of different
Experience Levels granting an extra fate point for
each step lower in Experience Level the hero is to the
most experienced hero on the team.
Using the Series Level example, if Sure-Shots
experience level was Know the Ropes and Phalanx
was Highly Experienced, Sure-Shot would gain an
additional two free fate point under this option,
granting him a total of five extra fate point s at
the beginning of an Issue where he was working
directly with Phalanx.
Or perhaps youd prefer to do it for variant Experience
Levels, but not Series Levels. The choice of whether
or not to use the extra fate point options, and how to
use them, is completely up to you. Figure out whats
the most fun for you, and have at it.
When running a series (or even a single Issue) with

different Series Levels of player-characters, take
the highest Series Level and compare it to the rest
of the characters. For each step another playercharacter is below that Series Level, they start the
Issue with an extra fate point. This does not affect
their Refresh, its just a free fate point or two to
make sure they get their share of the Oooomph!
that everyone gets in a comic book.
Phalanx is a character that falls into the Off
the Chart category. Hes a major heavy-hitter
229
Different Team
Experience
Start in medias res when you start with action, you

give the player opportunities to make choices about
their character.
A character starts her origin story with one fate point
and their Concept aspect already chosen.
If you want to represent a super team with a

lot of experience, or very little experience, the
guideline below gives a suggested modifier
to the number of Team Points. The modifier
is not per player, it is a flat modifier to the
Team Points they already receive.
Choosing New Skills
For teams with members of different

experience levels, use the highest experience
level. Although its usually argued that a team
is only as strong as its weakest member,
were talking super-heroes where the
experienced mentor or member usually has
the biggest impact on what a team can do.
Choosing New Aspects
During the origin story, call for a lot of skill rolls.

Whenever the player must make a skill roll and doesnt
want to roll at Mediocre (+0), he can assign that skill
to one of him empty slots. Once assigned, its part of
the character.
Been Around the Block: +2
Throw the player into a variety of different situations,

pit him against a variety of different difficulties. When
the player runs into trouble, when he needs a +2 or
a reroll for example, suggest an aspect to him. If he
takes you up on your suggestion or comes up with
his own aspect, let him invoke it once for free and
give him a fate point!
Highly Experienced: +3
Choosing New Stunts
New/Young Heroes: +0
Know the Ropes: +1
Chapter 4: Character
Creation
Want to change character creation around a bit?
Try these hacks to get you started. The first covers
running a short origin story for each player-character,
while the second option shows a quick-and-dirty
method of making characters quickly for a one night
pick-up game.
Origin Story
Origin stories are a staple of super-hero comic books, but
dont always translate as well at a gaming table. Naturally,
thats all dependent on the dynamics and playstyle of the
group, but we thought wed offer it as an option.
Starting the Origin Story

An origin story is a great way to start character
creation with a bang by using vignettes that target
each player. Its just like playing a normal game of
Daring Comics, but focuses on helping each player
define their character. Most players will have at least
a general idea of who they want to be, but they may
be fuzzy on the details.
230
You can offer the player new stunts the same way
you offer him new aspects offer him something that
might get him out of a tight spot, or allow him to do
something he needs to do. Once the player uses a
stunt, it becomes part of his character and costs the
required Hero Points.
Choosing Powers
This is also a good time for the player to have his
character thrust into situations that will start to define
his power sets, or run a scene for the character showing
his true origin and source of gaining his powers. As
with stunts, place the character into situations where
the player can start deciding on some base powers to
add to the character. Once the player uses a power,
it becomes part of one of the characters power sets
and costs the required Hero Points.
Involving the Other Players

Playing a characters origin story is a communal
activity! Other players can jump in to play NPCs you
can suggest they do this, too, if you need someone
to play a particular character. They can even jump
in with their own characters, whether or not theyve
gone through their own origin story yet.
Other players can also suggest aspects, but only if
those aspects define a relationship with their own
characters. If the two players define a relationship
during an origin story, they both get an aspect and

a fate point which the other player can use in his
own origin story!
Ending an Origin Story

Follow an origin story to an appropriate conclusion,
but try not to let it last longer than fifteen or twenty
minutes before you move on to the next origin story.
The idea is to play through an origin story for each
player at the table during a single session. Once the
origin stories are completed, the players can spent
any remaining Hero Points, skill slots, and aspect
slots, to finish up character creation.
Pick-Up Style for

Beginning a Series
The pick-up style of starting a game can also
be used when creating a Series, which offers
a less math option for getting started, since
slots and points can be spent during play.
The only difference is that if using this style
to create a Series, make sure to go through
the Series Framework steps.
Players still do not need to create their
Rogues Gallery and Supporting Cast before
the first Issue, and may indeed encounter
such creative choices during play and flesh
them out between gaming nights. If that
option is used, the player simply marks the
awarded skill point or Hero Point with the
rest he has in the bank.
The Pick-Up Game

The pick-up game is simply a one-shot gaming
session where you and your friends decide to play a
game of Daring Comics with pretty much zero prep
time. Its for those nights where youre all wondering
what to do, and decide to do a little role-playing at
the last minute.
Typically, Daring Comics requires a lot of creative
thought to get started. The entire group sits down
at the table, determines all the different tones and
levels of the Series they want to play, determines their
aspects, skills, stunts, and powers, and can take an
entire game night or maybe two nights, depending
on the size of the group.
At the same time, nothing in Daring Comics says that
every part of character creation much be done before
the first Issue. There is absolutely nothing wrong

with a player banking an Aspect slot or two, some
skill slots, and some Hero Points and filling in those
blanks during actual play.
The principle is the complete basis of a pick-up
game as well.
Pick a Series Type

First, pick the Series Level, Series, Tone, and
Experience Level. This should go quick what type
of story do you want to tell? It also governs a couple
points of consequence recovery, beginning Refresh,
and allots the skill points and Hero Points.
Since this is a one-shot game, dont worry about
going through the steps for designing the Setting.
The GM will use only what comes to mind and what
he needs for the one-night story, plus the players
using the Create an Advantage action in play will help
define individual scenes and encounters as needed.
The Five Aspects

At this stage, you only need your Concept aspect. If
you can think of a Motivation aspect as well, thats
even better, but dont sweat it right now. You can
figure that out in play.
For the remaining three aspects, if you have them
in your head, dont hesitate to put them on the
character sheet. If not, some or all of them will come
to you during play.
Skills, Powers & Stunts

At this stage youll have your starting skill points and
Hero Points. Skills still use the column method, and
the skill chapter gives some column breakdowns
based on skill points and what you want your apex
skill to be ranked.
Jot down a couple of skills you feel the character
would definitely have in the column. Once again, you
dont have to spend every point or fill every slot at this
point, just make sure you follow one of the example
columns in the skills chapter.
Do the same for your Hero Points. If you know a
couple of powers or stunts your character would
have, make the purchases.
Make sure you make note of your remaining skill
points and Hero Points so you can spend them as
needed during play.
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Rogues Gallery and Supporting Cast

Since this is a quick-and-dirty, one-shot gaming
session, a pick-up game doesnt use a Rogues
Gallery and Supporting Cast. Thats not to say you
cant create them if you can do it quickly, but theyre
far from necessary.
Play the Session

The GM has a story notion, the players have at least
beginning details of their characters, and now its
time to start the Issue. During the session, the players
will fill in any remaining aspect slots, skill slots, and
spend Hero Points. Itll mostly be composed of the
character facing a certain obstacle in the story, and
the player determining at that moment whether or not
the character would have an aspect, skill, stunt, or
power, that would assist. If so, the slot is filled in or
the points spent, and it becomes part of the character.
Pick Up Game vs
Convention or
Demo Game
The difference between a pick-up game and
a convention or demo game is in the prep
time. A pick-up game has pretty much zero
prep time its a spur of the moment decision
to play a session of Daring Comics, and it
meant to last just one-night. That means that
its idea to start the story with a few parts of
the character, and fully expected to discover
the rest as needed during the session.
For a convention or demo game, the person
running the game should have the playercharacters already pre-made to hand out
to players, and already have something of
a setting in mind for the story, including at
least one Series Aspect to tell the players
what the theme of the story is intended to
be. Like with a pick-up game, the players
wont be worrying about creating parts of
the setting its still a one-shot story. But
they should have fully created characters
given to them so that they can see how
Daring Comics plays.
232
Step Three: Supporting

Cast and Rogues Gallery
Originally, each supporting cast member a player
creates grants them an additional skill point, while
each Rogue grants them an additional Hero Point.
But what about those series where the heroes are
more skill or power based? If it works better at your
table, use the following variant.
For those power-heavy games, instead of a supporting
cast member granting an additional skill point, both
supporting cast members and Rogues grant the
player an additional Hero Point. Likewise, for a skillheavy series, the inverse is also true: both supporting
cast members and Rogues grant an additional skill
point.
The GM can either set either variant as a series
whole, meaning it applies to every player uniformly, or
can assign a variant as needed on a player-by-player
basis, as long as the entire group agrees. What the
means is that one player might use the core rules
version, while another might have both types of NPCs
grant them a Hero Point, while a skill-heavy street
vigilante or scientist type might have both types of
NPCs grant additional skill points.
Chapter 6: Super-Teams
The Super-Team chapter explained how to create a
super-team that focuses on the player-characters,
their adventures, and how having a super-team can
benefit them during play.
But what about the robust and large super-teams we
see in comic books? The ones with a dozen, or even
dozens, of heroes on the roster?
Daring Comics handles them as a separate character,
but also something of a minor character. For those
familiar with the Fate system, youll recognize this
method as the Fate Fractal.
The Expanded Super Team

The expanded super-team represents the heroes
outside of the main characters (i.e. the playercharacters). Except for when the players had taken a
Super-Team stunt such as Reverse Member, the team
is considered an abstraction when it comes to the
narrative. That means that the specific members need
not be determined and created; the team works as a
single unit and the details are created on a narrative
basis as needed.
This expanded super-team, though likely comprised

of many heroes, is considered a single character.
Required Stunt
Using an expanded super-team in your Daring Comics
series requires the players to take the following superteam stunt when building the core team.
Robust Team
The super-team is more than just a small handful
of heroes its an expansive and diverse roster
that can both assist and hinder the core team
throughout the series.

The expanded super-team begins with a number of
stress boxes equal to the Series Tone. It begins with
one of each type of consequence slots, except that it
cannot take an extreme consequence.
Expanded Team Aspects

The core super-team aspects created by the players
represent how the concept of the team functions for
them as the storys main characters. For the expanded
super-team, the players should create two entirely new
super team aspects, which can represent absolutely
anything about the team. These two aspects are used
only during the Expanded Team Adventures detailed
later, and are not used by the player-characters in their
stories. Likewise, the expanded super team can only
use these two team aspects and cannot use the two
that are part of the player-characters core super-team.
The Skills
Unlike full characters, super-teams only possess four
skills to use in their peripheral scenes. All of the skills
can use any of the Four Action types, however is
needed for the scene, though the GM has the right to
call for only a specific skill to be rolled.
The four skills are:
Combat: This skill covers the full range of normal
combat, from fist fights, gun play, to using weapons.
It handles both the offensive and defensive portions
of conflicts, and includes super-powers.
Expertise: How much knowledge can the expanded
team bring to bear, whether through investigation
and clue analysis, science or sorcery, or even general
academic subjects? This skill represents such things.
Social: The Social skill covers interacting and dealing

with others, whether through getting them on your
side and willing to assist the team, intimidating them
into submission, or even calling upon allies and
contacts the team might possess.
Undercover: This skill deals with being stealthy,
breaking into places, using disguises, and all the other
actions in the scene that mean the team doesnt want
to be discovered.
The expanded super-team rates each skill from
Mediocre (+0) to Good (+3), and each step on the
ladder can only be used once.
Skill Points and

Hero Points
After the two aspects are decided and the four skills
have been assigned a place on the ladder, the players
can now do a little team advancement.
The team has 3 skill points with which to increase
skills. Each additional step on the ladder costs one of
the three points.
The players also has 10 Hero Points with which to
create stunts for the team, or purchase a specific
super-power or two. By purchasing a super-power,
the players are saying that these specific powers
provide a true benefit when the team is on an
adventure. Obvious choices would be powers like
Blast, Hardiness, Invulnerability, and Melee Attack,
but truly creative players will discover a lot of options.
Refresh
The team begins with a refresh based on the Series
Tone. Like with a normal character creation, beginning
Refresh can be spent to gain additional Hero Points.
Advancing the
Expanded Team
The expanded super-team advances under the same
rules as the core super-team. When the players reach
a milestone and are awarded a skill point and/or hero
point, each player must decide whether to apply
the reward to their own character, to the core team
(in the case of the Hero Point), or to the expanded
team (in the case of the skill point or Hero Point).
The same principle applies as already mentioned in
the Super-Team chapter: you are putting aside your
individual needs in exchange for focusing on making
the entire team better.
233
Super Team Adventures
The Conflict Adventure
An adventure for the expanded super-team is a

periphery scene that should take no more than 15
to 20 minutes to play. These adventures can only
happen once per Issue, and can be called for by the
players or the GM.
The conflict adventure is exacting what it sounds like:

the teams heroes are taking on villains in a flashy,
and often environmentally lethal, braw-for-all.
Defining the Adventure
The GM creates the opposition the same as the

players created their expanded team. He chooses two
aspects, assigns the four skills, and takes some stunts
and powers. Unlike the players, however, the GM
doesnt have to worry about specific skill points or Hero
Points he creates a representation of the opposition
that is enough to provide a suitable challenge.
An expanded super-team adventure must somehow

link to the main storyline of what the player-characters
are going through. It could be secondary raids on
villain safe houses that were discovered, the tracking
down and questioning of a particular suspect, or
even the analysis of strange technology that was
discovered and taken back to the base.
While it might be attractive for players to focus on
the Combat skill as the Apex skill for the expanded
team, the GM should be sure to run these little side
adventures in such a way that the same skill isnt
always used from one to the next.
Beginning the Adventure

During an Issue, the players or GM can call for an
expanded super-team adventure simply by stating
that they want one, and then defining the purpose of
the adventure. The GM has final authority on whether
or not the adventure will take place for the proposed
reason. For example, the players might propose one
for hunting down and questioning a suspect in an
ongoing investigation into new, alien-tech weapons
coming into the city. The GM, however, might veto the
proposal because he already has a dramatic scene
planned for that part of the story, and he specifically
wants the player-characters involved.
The Adventure: An
Important Point
The important thing to remember is that the adventure
is meant to be an abstract representation of the
background members of the super-team. That means
that the exact who and what of the membership is
not vital. Cover the member descriptions, the types
of powers going off under the Combat skill, and the
details from a narrative perspective.
Running the Adventure

Running an expanded team adventure comes into
two types: the Conflict and the Contest.
234
Creating the Opposition
Resolving the Conflict

Conflict is resolved the same as any other conflict scene
in Daring Comics. Its broken down into exchanges,
with the change that initiative is determined solely by
the Combat skill. Collateral Damage Consequence
slots are not available to the expanded super-team.
Once the conflict is over, the player-characters or GM
get a reward. These reward is to be used in the main
brunt of the story in other words by or against the
main player-characters at some point in the Issue.
Villains Concede: The GM gets a Fate Point, but
players get a situation aspect representing what the
expanded team achieved that can be used at any
point during the Issue, and can only be invoked or
compelled by the player-characters. There is no roll
needed to place the aspect when the players decided
to finally bring it into play.
Villain gets Taken out: The players get a situation
aspect the same as above, plus each player-character
receives a fate point.
Heroes Concede: Each player gets a fate point for
their main-character, but the GM gets to place a Boost
on one of the characters, with no roll necessary, at
some point during the Issue.
Heroes get Taken Out: The players dont get any
additional fate points, and the GM gets a situation
aspect at some later point in the Issue, with one free
invocation, that only his NPCs can invoke or compel.
The Contest Adventure

The contest adventure is great for what the expanded
super-team has to achieve an objective, but direct
conflict is not involved. Examples might include
tracking down a suspect or interrogating someone,
trying to uncover the secrets of a piece of alien tech

before something happens, and so forth.
designs and ideas. This is just meant to give you a

starting point for your own variants.
These adventures are run exactly as a normal Contest.
When looking at Blast, Invulnerability, and Melee

Attack, both of which have a Variant #1 and Variant
#2, its ideal to have the variant types play together. In
other words, those powers should use either the core
version, Variant #1,or Variant #2, together.
The Opposition
The GM decides what skill is to be used by the team,
and chooses a skill and rank for the opposition. In
this instance, the GM does not need to create the
opposition as per a Conflict Adventure (though he
can if he wants to), but only needs to pick a skill and
assign it a rating.
Resolving the Contest

Resolve the contest as normal, with the first side to
get three or more victories declared the winner.
Based on the results of the contest, the playercharacters or GM receive the following rewards.
Team Failure: If the players fail the contest, regardless
of whether it allowed the opposition a success or
success with style, the GM gets a relevant situation
aspect to bring into play later that only his NPCs can
invoke or compel.
Team Success: If the team succeeds, the playercharacters get a single situation aspect that only they
can invoke or compel placed on a scene at some
later point in the issue.
Player Success with Style: For a success with style,
the players get the situation aspect as above, and
each player-character also receives a free invocation.
Chapter 7: Skills
For those series where the heroes cant take as much
damage as their traditional four-color counterparts,
Physique and Will do not add extra stress boxes or
consequence slots to the character. In order to get
the extra stress boxes and consequence slots, the
character must possess levels in the Hardiness power.

Youre able to mimic the movement, such as
fighting ability, acrobatics, and so forth, of people
youve observed.
To use the power, you must first observe the target in
action (such as in combat) for at least a full minute. At
the end of that minute, make a an Overcome action.
You gain the targets rating in Accuracy, Athletics,
Fight, or Weapons, as well as associated Stunts
(whichever skills and Stunts you observed them
using), until the end of the scene.
If you are watching a group of people, you can mimic
the skills (highest rating) and Stunts of everyone you
are watching, but your attention is not as focused
and your opposition to do so increases by +1 per
each additional person.
Although you do not maintain the skills for good,
you do continue to receive a long lasting bonus.
Whenever you face an opponent whose movements
youve duplicated in the past and you use the Create
an Advantage action representing that fact, you gain
a +2 bonus to the roll.
Special Effects
Advanced Muscle Memory (1): You can view and
mimic your target faster. Each time this applied to
the power, your required time to view the target is
reduced 1 step on the Time Increment table.
Chapter 9: Powers
This section provides a few examples of how to hack
the pre-built powers to change how they function
in the game at their base level. Whether or not your
Series will use these examples of the powers or the
versions contained in the Powers chapter should be
discussed as a group. These example are not meant
to be exhaustive, as trying to accomplish that could
entail reprinting the entire Powers chapter with new
235
Hey! I Know you!

For Adoptive Muscle Memory, when you
meet an opponent for the first time in play,
you may spend a fate point to add a story
detail that youve observed him in the past,
and therefore take the Create an Advantage
action as mentioned in the power description.
This isnt a simple matter of spending the
point and jumping forward, but you must
actually narrate something of how you last
met, or what you did to observe the character.
The GM has veto power if the previous
encounter doesnt make sense in the context
of the story.
Animal Mimicry (3)

The character can mimic the powers of animals up
to one zone away by making an Overcome action.
Add +1 to the opposition for each additional zone
between the animal and the character.
There are no hard and fast rules on what powers a
particular animal possesses, and the GM and player
should assign them as makes sense. For each Shift
generated on the roll, the hero may add one Power
Level of ability from that animal.
For example, a hero who gains three Shifts on a roll
to mimic the traits of an elephant might spend those
Shifts on Super-Strength 1, Unstoppable 1, and
Density 1.
The character can cancel mimicked traits at any
time, but the traits last no longer than the end of
the current scene.
Special Effect
Blast (1-6), Variant #1

Design Notes: This power works almost the same
as the core version. The primary difference is that a
Blast can do zero damage on a tie. The effects of the
various blast types listed in the core rules remain the
same, except where noted below.
236
Skills: Accuracy
You can fire some sort of distance attack, whether a
plasma beam, concussive force, ice shards, fireballs,
or even spikes. Each power level grants you +1 to
your Accuracy rolls when using the power, up to a
maximum of +6, and has a range of: power level +1
zones away from the character.
Concussive (2): One a successful hit, for each Shift
you reduce your damage, you knock your target back
two zones instead of the normal one. You also gain a +2
Energy (1): One a successful attack, for each Shift
you reduce your damage, you extend the range of
your blast by an additional zone.
Blast (2), Variant #2

Design Notes: This version is a lot more muted as
far as overall combat effect goes, and is really idea
for combining with the No Crunch Gear method
mentioned later in the Appendix. The effects of the
Skills: Accuracy
You possess some sort of awesome ranged attack,
whether its beams from your eyes, mouth, hands, or
even a device.
Instead of invoking your Power Set Aspect for
free once per scene only for a reroll, you may now
invoke it once per scene for free for a reroll or a +2
bonus to the roll.
Additionally, all Accuracy rolls while using your power
receive +2 to the roll.
Concussive (2): One a successful hit, for each Shift

you reduce your damage, you knock your target back
two zones instead of the normal one. You also gain a +2
Energy (1): One a successful attack, for each Shift
you reduce your damage, you extend the range of
your blast by an additional zone.
Duplication Variant
and other Minion
Summoning Powers
The Duplication variation can also be used
to create a variant of similar powers, such as
Animal Summoning, Animate, and Summoning.
Duplication (3)
You are never truly alone, and have the ability to make
more of you!
The Duplication power allows you to make a number of
exact copies of yourself. To call forth your duplicates,
make a skill roll. You gain one temporary aspect
related to your duplicates for each Shift generated
on the roll, and get one free invocation (in total, not
per aspect). The exact number of duplicates are not
determined by the roll, and are a narrative feature.
The Shifts can also be used to gain additional free
invocations as well. To do so, apply the extra Shifts
beyond the first to free invocations instead of gaining
additional temporary aspects.
By spending a fate point, you can also invoke your

aspect for a narrative effect, such as going off on their
own to investigate a clue at another location or tailing
someone. If a skill roll would be needed during the
away scene, use the skill ranking of your character
since the duplicates are the same as you.
Your duplicates do
Duplication power.
not
possess
their
own
Special Effects
Damage Soaking (3): Once per issue, the hero can
absorb a duplication aspect to automatically heal
Consequences. It takes one temporary aspect to heal
two points of consequences, so a Mild Consequence
would require absorbing one aspect, a moderate
consequence requires two aspects, and a severe
consequence requires three aspects.
Sacrificial Lamb (2): The hero can spend a fate point
to transfer any damage suffered by himself to one or
more of his duplicates (i.e. aspects). Each aspect
absorbs 2-Hits before it is removed from play. Any
damage that cannot be applied to a duplicate is taken
by the hero.
Limits
Shared Damage (1): Any time an aspect is removed
by an opponent, the hero takes 2-Hits of damage.
Invulnerability does not negate this damage.
Psychic Feedback (1): Whenever an aspect is
removed by an opponent, the hero must make a Will
roll against Opposition equal to the number of Shifts
gained on the opponents roll to remove the aspect,
or fall unconscious for the remainder of the conflict.
To combat and remove the duplicates from the scene,

your opponents must roll against passive opposition
equal to your Controlling skill plus one for every
Shift you gained on the roll. In other words, if your
Controlling skill is Fair (+2) and you gained two Shifts
on the roll, the passive opposition to remove your
temporary aspects (i.e. destroy your duplicates) is
Great (+4). On a success a single aspect is removed.
On a success with style, the aspect is removed and
the opponent gains a boost.
Duplicates last until the aspects are removed, or until
the end of the scene. To control them longer than a
scene without an additional roll, you must spend a
fate point at the beginning of the scene.
237
Duplicate Duplication
Well put this Special Effect as a side idea,
only because weve seen it in comic books.
Allowing this option can greatly affect the
balance of a game, however, and requires
additional paperwork for the player if used.
So, include it as a playable option with care.
Duplicate Duplication (5): Your duplicates
possess the Duplicate power the same as
you do, and can continue to make copies of
themselves ad infinitum. Keep a separate
record of which duplicate (i.e. aspects) have
also created their own aspects. If you, the
player, have maintained your sanity by the
end of the scene, youve accomplished an
incredible feat.
Invulnerability (16), Variant #1

Skills: None
The hero is resistant to damage. Additionally, all
Defend rolls where your Invulnerability power would
apply receive +1 per power level, to a maximum of +6.
Special Effect
adds his Invulnerability level as a bonus to resist other
characters attempting to stop his momentum. The
hero can automatically break objects with a Material
Strength up to twice his Invulnerability level simply by
purposefully ramming into them.
Invulnerability
(2), Variant #2
Skills: None
Instead of invoking your Power Set Aspect for free
once per scene only for a reroll, you may now invoke
it once per scene for free for a reroll or a +2 bonus to
238
the roll on Defend actions where your Invulnerability

would have an effect.
Additionally, all Defend rolls where your Invulnerability
power would apply receive +2 to the roll.
Special Effect
adds a +4 bonus to resist other characters attempting
to stop his momentum. The hero can automatically
break objects with a Material Strength up to twice his
Physique plus four by purposefully ramming into them.
Melee Attack (1-6), Variant #1

Design Notes: This power works almost the same
as the core version. The primary difference is that a
Melee Attack can do zero damage on a tie. The effects
of the various Melee Attack types listed in the core
rules remain the same, except where noted below.
Skills: Fight
personal attack, whether claws, flaming hands,
ice encased fists, even concussive force punches,
or even a weapon thats beyond the scope of the
mundane. Each power level grants you +1 to your
Fight rolls when using the power.
Applying special effects to the Melee powers
create some types of Blast with one or two special
effects. Use them as examples for building your own,
or apply them to your character for a ready-to-play
power. Simply purchase your levels of Melee Attack,
and then add the cost below to the final total.
The bonus from Melee Attack does not stack with
the bonus from Super-Strength (see Super-Strength,
Variant #1). Instead, you use the greater of the two
(though you still purchase a secondary effect from the
Melee Attack power).
attack, you may spend a fate point to ignore a targets
imperviousness, as well as gain +2 Hits on your

attack. If the target is not Impervious, you gain +3
Hits.
Melee Attack (2), Variant #2

Design Notes: This version is a lot more muted as
far as overall combat effect goes, and is really idea
for combining with the No Crunch Gear method
mentioned later in the Appendix. The effects of the
personal attack, whether claws, flaming hands, ice
encased fists, even concussive force punches, or even
a weapon thats beyond the scope of the mundane.
Instead of invoking your Power Set Aspect for
free once per scene only for a reroll, you may now
invoke it once per scene for free for a reroll or a +2
bonus to the roll.
Additionally, all Fight rolls while using your power
receive +2 to the roll.
Applying special effects to the Melee powers
create some types of Blast with one or two special
effects. Use them as examples for building your own,
or apply them to your character for a ready-to-play
power. Simply purchase your levels of Melee Attack,
and then add the cost below to the final total.
The Fight bonus from Melee Attack stacks with the
bonus from Super-Strength, Variant #2.
attack, you may spend a fate point to ignore a targets
imperviousness, as well as gain +2 Hits on your attack.
If the target is not Impervious, you gain +3 Hits.
The aspects last until the end of the scene, and

should represent something from the particular form,
such as Agility of a Monkey, Strength of a Rhino,
Fly like a Falcon, and so forth.
The aspects are assumed to carry the appropriate
narrative context along with them, such as using
Agility of a Monkey to easily maintain balance.
Special Effect
Super-Strength (16), Variant #1

Skills: None
You are stronger than mere mortals, able to
achieve feats of strength and hit with a force
others usually only imagine.
Each level in Super-Strength provides you with +1 to
Fight for melee attacks, and a +1 to Physique rolls
that involve a raw application of strength, such as
and breaking things or making or breaking grapples,
but not to lifting things.
below. To lift a weight, make a roll using Mediocre
(+0) skill rating plus your Super-Strength bonus in an
When lifting weight limits found on the normal Lifting
Benchmark table, no roll is necessary.
Shapeshift (2)
You can shapeshift into any animal or inanimate
object. For the ability to shapeshift into other people,
add Chameleon to your power set.
To shapeshift, make an Overcome action. You gain
one temporary aspect related to the new form
youve assumed for each Shift generated on the
roll, and get one free invocation (in total, not per
aspect). To gain additional free invocations, Shifts
can be applied to additional free invocations instead
of gaining additional aspects.
239
SuperStrength
Lifting
Benchmark
Mediocre (+0)
Average (+1)

in your grasp
Fair (+2)

loaded jet fighter
Good (+3)

Great (+4)
Superb (+5)
Fantastic (+6)
With your strength,

Epic (+7)

Legendary (+8)

Monstrous (+9)

Pyramid of Giza
Colossal (+10)
Unearthly (+11)
inconveivable (+12)

device, congrats!
Special Effects
Create and Advantage action with +2 bonus to place
an Off-Balanced, Staggered, or similar situation
aspect on them. They can Defend against the attempt.
Super-Strength (2,
3, 4), Variant #2
Skills: None
You are stronger than mere mortals, able to achieve
feats of strength and hit with a force others usually
only imagine.
240
You gain +2 bonus to Fight when using SuperStrength in melee combat. Additionally, you gain +2
to all Physique rolls that involve a raw application of
strength, such as and breaking things or making or
breaking grapples, and lifting things.
below. To lift a weight, make a Physique roll plus your
Super-Strength bonus in an Overcome action against
the indicated opposition. When lifting weight limits
found on the normal Lifting Benchmark table, no roll
is necessary.
This power can be taken up to three times, with each
additional application adding an additional +2 bonus
to the Physique rolls, but no additional bonus to the
Fight roll. In other words, purchasing Super-Strength
three times would cost 4 Hero Points, provide a +2
bonus to Fight when using Super-Strength in melee
combat, and a +6 to all Physique rolls that involve
a raw application of strength, such as and breaking
things or making or breaking grapples, and lifting
things.
SuperStrength
Lifting
Benchmark
Mediocre (+0)
Average (+1)

in your grasp
Fair (+2)

loaded jet fighter
Good (+3)

Great (+4)
Superb (+5)
Fantastic (+6)
With your strength,

Epic (+7)

Legendary (+8)

Monstrous (+9)

Pyramid of Giza
Colossal (+10)
Unearthly (+11)
inconveivable (+12)

device, congrats!
Special Effects
Create and Advantage action with +2 bonus to place
an Off-Balanced, Staggered, or similar situation
aspect on them. They can Defend against the attempt.
Special Effect Variants

For those most part, little to no change is needed for
special effects. If Blast or Melee Attack Variant #1 is
used, simply adjust any indicated Weapon Rating to
a +1 bonus to the relevant attack skill roll per level.
In the case of those powers using Variant #2 in your
games, the following Special Effects and Limits are
also adjusted.
Concussive (1)
For each Shift you reduce your damage, you knock your
target back two zones instead of the normal one zone.
Extended Range (1)

For each Shift that you reduce your damage, you
extend the range of your attack by an additional zone.
Impervious (1/2)
This special effect is optional and requires GM and
group consensus before being added to a campaign.
It applies to the Invulnerability power.
Although Daring Comics allows any character to risk
injury if the opponent can generate enough Shifts
on an attack, sometimes in comic books certain
characters are just completely immune to a type of
damage up to a certain threshold.
A character with the Impervious special effect is
immune to all damage of a particular type. It could
be applied to energy damage, physical damage (such
as blades, bullets, and low-yield explosives), mental
damage, or even damage from arcane spells (such as
a mystic themed blast
At the Low Impervious level, the character negates the
first 3-Hits of damage from attack of the appropriate
type. At Highly Impervious, he negates the first
4-Hits of damage from attack of the appropriate type.
Sometimes, an attack will fall between the cracks
and will have to be judged on a case-by-case
basis. A Concussive Force blast against a character
Impervious to Weapon Rating in energy attacks could
be argued to be a physical attack, but as shown in
comics it might sometimes affect the character as
though it were an energy based attack.
Regardless of whether or not a character is
Impervious, they can still suffer knockback from an
attack as normal, even if they cant be damaged by it.
Mega-Attack (1/2)
Once per issue, you can double the damage of a
successful hit with an attack power. The increase
lasts for one attack only. There are two levels to
this special effect.
241
Basic: The power immediately shuts down after

the attack. Additionally, you take Stress, and then
Consequences if you dont have enough Stress
boxes, equal to the number of levels the power was
enhanced. The Consequences must be repaired or
recovered as normal.
For example, lets say you hit with your Energy Beam
for 4-Hits of damage, and used the special effect
to increase that to 8-Hits. After the attack, Energy
Beam is shutdown. Additionally, since Energy
Beam damage was increased by 4 levels, you take
4-Stress. If you cant cover the Stress, you take any
overflow as Consequences.
Energy Beam is automatically recovered at the end
of the scene. To recover it during the scene requires
spending a round on an Overcome action against
an opposition equal to the amount of increase the
Hits received. In the above example, that would be a
Great (+4) Opposition.
The recovery action, though, can only be attempted
once during the scene.
To recover during a scene, roll whichever skill would
make narrative sense (such as a Controlling skill,
Physique Technology, or Will).
Advanced: The power still shuts down after the attack,
but this version allows you to first apply those levels to
reduce your other powers, before you have to consider
Stress or Consequences. These changes last until the
end of the scene in which the special effect was used,
then your power levels return to normal.
If you dont have enough, overall power levels to
absorb the required reduction, then all your powers
are completely shut down and you take any overflow
as either Stress or Consequences.
If a power does not have Power Levels (such as
Shrinking, Teleportation, and so forth), the power can
take 1 point of reduction and is shut down.
Just as in the basic version, you can attempt to
recover the lowered powers during the scene. Doing
so requires an Overcome action with opposition equal
to the total number of reduced levels to be recovered.
However you decide to handle it, the recovery action
can only be attempted once during the scene.
Otherwise, all reduced power levels are automatically
recovered at the end of the scene.
Americannon has Energy Blast, Flight 3,
Forcefield 3, and Hyper-sense 3 (Dark Vision,
242
Full Vision, Hyper-Hearing). He successfully

hits for 4-Shifts of damage and doubles that
for 1 action, making it a 8-Hits of damage.
Afterward, he can either take 4-Stress, or
reduce some of his other powers by a total
of 4 levels. He reduces Hyper-Sense by 3,
and Flight by 1.
Penetrating (2)
When you succeed with style on an attack, you may
spend a fate point to ignore a targets imperviousness,
as well as gain +2 Hits on your attack. If the target is
not Impervious, you gain +3 Hits.
Limits Variants
Damaging (1)
Each round the hero uses the power, he takes 2-Stress.
Invulnerability does not help against the damage.

The following Variant to the Devices and Gear chapter
shows how to keep normal, everyday gear and
weapons as aspects on the character sheet instead
of dealing with a skill bonus or weapon rating.
This variant is really ideal when using Variant #2 for
the Blast, Invulnerability, and Melee Attack powers.
Building devices remains unchanged, since devices
use powers as their own power set, and power
variants have already been covered.
No Crunch Gear Method

In this variant, important everyday gear and weapons
are handled through aspects. A gear aspect can be as
generic or as descriptive as you desire. If youre the
sort for whom guns are important but interchangeable,
maybe you just have a Revolver or a Sniper Rifle.
If you want to get a little more specific, maybe its
a Pristine Colt .45 or a Silenced XM21. Want to drill
down even more? Give yourself My Fathers Service
Pistol or My Well-Used, Modified XM21. The point
is that, if its important, it gets an aspect. Things like
your jacket and shoes, your sunglasses, your car
keys maybe even your car dont need aspects,
unless they become important to the story.
A gear aspect functions like any other aspect: you
can invoke it, and other people can compel it or
invoke it against you. You can invoke a gear aspect

any time it would be useful: invoke your Press Pass
to get a little closer to that crime scene.
An aspect on gear might also suggest the best
situation in which to use it or delineate what makes it
different from others of its kind (like a sniper rifle being
ideally suited For Long-Range Work or a particular
model that Never, Ever Jams).
Theres one final rule when it comes to gear aspects,
GMs you can take them away. If a hero is starting
to rely a little too much on a piece of gear, or if it
just feels like time to shake things up, find a reason
for that aspect to go away. Doing this is a compel,
so the player can refuse it and thats fine you
dont want to take away your players favorite parts
of the game. Also, getting rid of the aspect doesnt
necessarily mean that the player loses that piece
of gear permanently. A Press Pass can lose its
aspect when the character gets suspended, and
a Revolver can be shut down when it runs out of
ammo. In both cases, theres a narrative way to get
the aspect back, and sometimes that can kick-start
an adventure on its own!
Obviously, too, under this variant the gear is not
assumed to have a Complication attached by way of
its normal nature. The Gear Aspect serves the same
function by being compelled.
We recommend against going overboard with this and
giving every single item the character owns an aspect.
This is a game about your hero, not about his or her
stuff. For the most part, you should assume that if
your character has a particular skill, that includes the
appropriate stuff to use that skill effectively. Reserve
Gear Aspects for items that have actual story value. In
other words, a super-powered hero probably doesnt
need gear aspects, but a vigilante whos totally reliant
on his military-grade weapons and armor does.
Too Many Aspects?

If a hero has five aspects and maybe four
or five gear aspects, plus there are scene
aspects and consequences and what have
you, isnt that too many aspects? It sure
can be! Heres a secret: gear aspects are
basically portable situation aspects. As
such, they can do a lot of the heavy lifting
that situation aspects can, if you feel like
theres too much going on in a scene. You
dont want to eliminate situation aspects
altogether, but if each street vigilante playercharacter has a number of gear aspects,
start with fewer situation aspects.
Its also a good idea to limit the number of
gear aspects each hero has. Not every piece
of gear needs its own aspect, so limiting
them to three, two, or even one signature
piece of gear is perfectly fine.
Adjusted Stunts
If you decide to use the No Crunch Gear Method, then
the following example stunt from the Stunts chapter
should be modified as follows:
Arsenal
You begin the game with a small arsenal to wage
your war on crime. You begin play with Kevlar
armor and three types of weapons. Create
gear aspects to represent your main armor and
weapons, which can be as simple as Kevlar
Armor or Modified M-16 Rifle.
Chapter 12: Comic

Book Action
Below are two suggestions to help you make your
comic book battles last even longer.
Check Two Stress

This method allows for characters to survive
many more hits in a fight, but mimics some of the
extraordinary battles weve seen in comic books.
Check up to two boxes at once, add their values
together, and reduce the hit by that many shifts.
So for example, a character with five stress boxes
243
can take up to 9 shifts of harm in a scene without

resorting to a consequence.
Extra Effort
This option can have some wild effects on die rolls
in a Daring Comics game, and can even partially
underscore the fate point economy, but when
combined with the Check Two Stress option, is a bit
more manageable.
Extra Effort means that the character is digging deep
within himself for an extra push to complete a certain
task even attempting to land a serious blow in a
conflict. Voluntarily check a currently unused stress
box anytime for a bonus on a roll. The bonus equals
the value of the checked box.
Chapter 13: Running

Daring Comics
Although the main portion of the Daring Comics rules
offers plenty of advice on creating different types
of NPCs, this following option allows for playercharacters to possess their very own sidekick a
significant NPC that is always at their side.
Sidekicks
Sidekicks are a regular staple of super-hero comics.
From a boy-wonder to a kid super-speedster, older
heroes regularly mentor the younger, up-andcoming generation.
The following guidelines are for creating NPC
Sidekicks for your hero. If another player is portraying
a PC sidekick, create the character normally.
Paying for the Sidekick

Gaining a sidekick comes with an inherent cost: the
Sidekick stunt. By purchasing the stunt, the player
is stating that his sidekick is not only a major part of
the story, but is a regular part of his main character.
Without the stunt, the sidekick should be treated as a
revolving supporting cast member meaning the GM
decides when and if to use the sidekick in a storyline.
244
Sidekick (Stunt, 4
Hero Points)
Your hero has a sidekick that fights by his
side, trains under him, and for whom he is
responsible not only for his safety, but for
turning him into the hero hell one day become.
Creating the Sidekick

Create the sidekick as outlined below:
Three Aspects
Experience Level one or two levels below the hero
Series Level equal to or one level below the hero
Full allotment of series given stress boxes, and
one of each consequence type
Begins with half the refresh of the hero (round up).
Playing the Sidekick

When using the sidekick in play, it acts on the heros
initiative. To have the sidekick act on its own initiative,
the player must spend one of his heros fate points.
Otherwise, the sidekicks performs actions as normal,
and for all intents and purposes is treated the same
as any other character.
Whenever the hero reaches a Milestone, so does the
sidekick, providing he took part in a majority of the
scenes in an Issue, Story Arc, or Volume.
Death of a Sidekick
A hero whos sidekick is killed or murdered will find
himself in a very bad place. Losing a sidekick is like losing
the closest possible family member you can imagine.
If a sidekick should die, the player must immediately
change out one of his aspects (except Concept and
Motivation) to represent the mental and emotional
trauma of the loss.
A sidekick should never be killed arbitrarily (thus the
required change of aspect) and should always be part
of a storyline agreed upon by both the GM and player.
As such, the player does not regain the 2 Hero Points
originally spent on the stunt.
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a

The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (Wizards). All Rights Reserved.
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15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Fudge System 1995 version 1992-1995 by Steffan OSullivan, 2005 by Grey Ghost Press, Inc.; Author Steffan OSullivan.
FATE (Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment) 2003 by Evil Hat Productions LLC; Authors Robert Donoghue and Fred Hicks.
Mutants & Masterminds, Second Edition, Copyright 2005, Green Ronin
Publishing; Author Steve Kenson.
Spirit of the Century 2006, Evil Hat Productions LLC. Authors Robert Donoghue, Fred Hicks, and Leonard Balsera.
Bulldogs! Copyright 2011 Brennan Taylor/Galileo Games. All rights reserved. Bulldogs! created by Eric Coble, Chuck Cooley, Robert Cooley,
Nathan Crowder, and C. Austin Hogan.
Mutants & Masterminds Heros Handbook, Copyright 2011, Green Ronin Publishing; Author Steve Kenson.
Fate Core System and Fate Accelerated Edition 2013 by Evil Hat Productions, LLC. Developed, authored, and edited by Leonard Balsera,
Brian Engard, Jeremy Keller, Ryan Macklin, Mike Olson, Clark Valentine, Amanda Valentine, Fred Hicks, and Rob Donoghue.
Fate System Toolkit 2013 by Evil Hat Productions, LLC. Developed, authored, and edited by Robert Donoghue, Brian Engard, Brennan Taylor,
Mike Olson, Mark Diaz Truman, Fred Hicks, and Matthew Gandy.
Daring Comics Role-Playing Game 2016 by Daring Entertainment, LLC. Authors Tommy Brownell, Lee. F. Szczepanik, Jr, and Lee. F.
Szczepanik, III.
246
CHARACTER SHeET
THE SUPER-POWERED ROLEPLAYING GAME
ID
Secret ID:
Name:
Hair:
Weight:
Public
Eyes:
Private
Refresh:
ASPECTS
Concept:
Motivation:
:
:
:
SKIlLS
Fantastic (+6):
Superb (+5):
Great (+4):
Good (+3):
Fair (+2):
Average (+1):
STUNTS
Power Set:
Aspect:
247
Power Set:
Aspect:
HEADQUARTERS
Point Cost:
Aspect:
Features:
Complications
Physical Stress
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Mental Stress
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Mild Consequence
Moderate Consequence
Severe Consequence
Consequence
Consequence
Consequence
248
Series WorksheEt
Series Name:
Series Level:
Series Tone:
Experience Level:
Broad Problem Aspect:

Immediate Problem Aspect:
The Broad View:
The Focused View:
The people:
249
super team SHeET

Super Team:
ASPECTS
Charter:
Friction:
STUNTS
Headquarters
Point Cost:
Features:
Team Rogues
250
Aspect:
Team Emblem
SupPorting cast & rogue sheEt

SupPorting cast
SupPorting cast
Name:
Name:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Notes:
Notes:
SupPorting cast
SupPorting cast
Name:
Name:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Notes:
Notes:
Rogue
Rogue
Name:
Name:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Notes:
Notes:
Rogue
Rogue
Name:
Name:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Notes:
Notes:
251

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DAR1100 Daring Comics Roleplaying Game

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the super-powered role playing game

Rafael Sant\'Anna Meyer (order #8336537)

Daring Comics Role-Playing Game

Welcome to Daring Comics!

Using Aspects For Roleplaying

Secret or Hidden Aspects

Creating the Series

Dark & Grim

Normal Guy in a Super World

Series Problems and Aspects

Sometimes, Its Better Not to Choose

Phase Three: The People

Phase One: The Broad View

23 Phase Two: The Focused View

Chapter 3: Series Creation

Making A Good Aspect

If You Get Stuck

What Aspects Do

Step One: Character Name

Step Three: Supporting Cast

Quick Character Creation

Vulnerability (Element-X Sickness)

Final Advice: Building Your Complication

Chapter 6: Super Teams 

Step One: Super Team Name

39 Turning the Dials

Step Three: Rogues Gallery

Step Five: Complications

Improving Your Super Team

Rafael Sant\'Anna Meyer (order #8336537)

The Basic Game Actions

Basic Stunt Creation

Add a New Action to a Skill

Advanced Stunt Creation

Stunts as Special Effects

Any Object is a Bullet

Controlling Skill Stunts

Into the Fray

Center of the Web

Strike from the Shadows

No Locks are Safe

Adrenaline Surge (1)

Life Support (1)

Building Your Own Powers 

Determining Effect Costs

Building Your Own Special Effects

Add a New Effect to a Power

Chapter 10: Devices and Gear

Street Vigilante Body Armor

129 Family Assistant

130 Arcane Artifacts

131 Ring of Eldritch Shielding

131 Arcane Rituals

Tentacles of the Darkened Mind

Design the Device

Object Material Strength

Creating the Gear

Constructing the Quiver

Using Device Special Effects

Clearing Collateral Consequences

The Four Outcomes

The Four Actions

Chapter 12: Comic Book Action

Zooming In On The Action

Welcome to Daring Comics!

Using Aspects For Roleplaying

Secret or Hidden Aspects

Creating the Series

Dark & Grim

Normal Guy in a Super World

Series Problems and Aspects

Sometimes, Its Better Not to Choose

Phase Three: The People

Phase One: The Broad View

23 Phase Two: The Focused View

Chapter 3: Series Creation

Making A Good Aspect

If You Get Stuck

What Aspects Do

Step One: Character Name

Quick Character Creation

Vulnerability (Element-X Sickness)

Final Advice: Building Your Complication

Chapter 6: Super Teams

Step One: Super Team Name

39 Turning the Dials

Step Three: Rogues Gallery

Step Five: Complications

Improving Your Super Team

The Basic Game Actions

Basic Stunt Creation

Add a New Action to a Skill

Advanced Stunt Creation

Stunts as Special Effects

Any Object is a Bullet

Controlling Skill Stunts

Into the Fray

Center of the Web

Strike from the Shadows

No Locks are Safe

Adrenaline Surge (1)

Life Support (1)

Building Your Own Powers

Determining Effect Costs

Building Your Own Special Effects

Add a New Effect to a Power

Chapter 10: Devices and Gear

Street Vigilante Body Armor

129 Family Assistant

130 Arcane Artifacts

131 Ring of Eldritch Shielding

131 Arcane Rituals

Tentacles of the Darkened Mind

Design the Device

Object Material Strength

Creating the Gear

Constructing the Quiver

Using Device Special Effects

Clearing Collateral Consequences

The Four Outcomes

The Four Actions

Chapter 12: Comic Book Action

Zooming In On The Action

Setting the Scene

Start and End Scenes

Create Story Arcs (and Nearly Everything Else)

What To Do During Series Creation

The Golden Rule

Creating The Opposition

Playing The Opposition

The Fate Fractal

Know Your Heroes

Set Up The First Scene

The Story Arc In Play

Take Only What You Need to Survive

Location, Location, Location

Appendix: Turning the Dials

For Minor Milestones

Chapter 3: Series Creation

Ask Story Questions

Plotting the Course

Problems and Character Aspects

The Expanded Super Team

Super Team Adventures